Latest news with #TebogoMalaka
News24
4 days ago
- Business
- News24
IDT mistrust: Minister Zikalala's whitewash that secured IDT CEO Malaka her job
Evidence suggests that interventions by former public works minister Sihle Zikalala and his close comrade, then-IDT chair Kwazi Mshengu, stifled Treasury investigations into allegations against then-acting CEO Tebogo Malaka and substituted a superficial probe by Zikalala's department. Nine days before the 2024 national elections, Zikalala endorsed Malaka's elevation from acting to permanent CEO on the basis that his probe 'found no wrongdoing' against her, but the probe had not been mandated to investigate Malaka. Last month the IDT was slapped down in its attempt to review the contract that Malaka was accused of mishandling after Malaka herself had deposed the founding affidavit. Former public works minister Sihle Zikalala downplayed the findings of an investigation he had commissioned, paving the way for Tebogo Malaka's appointment as chief executive of the Independent Development Trust (IDT) despite her involvement in a R45 million lease scandal. Part one of this series showed how Kwazi Mshengu, Zikalala's confidant and then-IDT chair, led the board in abandoning a National Treasury investigation into the parastatal's procurement of a new head office lease – even refusing to be briefed on its provisional findings. Mshengu and the board asked Zikalala to have his Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, of which the IDT is an implementing agency, investigate instead. The current story shows that while departmental auditors went on to produce a damning report on procedural irregularities, they had also warned Zikalala they were unequipped to probe and could not investigate substantive allegations against Malaka and others – a limitation he readily accepted. Despite the auditors recommending a further probe by the department's anti-corruption unit, Zikalala instantly wrote to Mshengu endorsing Malaka's appointment, claiming the auditors had 'found no wrongdoing' on her part. This was on 20 May 2024, just nine days before the national elections that ushered in the government of national unity. Mshengu signed off on Malaka's appointment six weeks later, as new ministers – including the DA's Dean Macpherson, Zikalala's successor – were being sworn in. Zikalala's exoneration of her had proved decisive for Malaka, whose elevation from acting to permanent chief executive was blocked after she had entered a five-year, R45 million lease with politically connected Moepathutse Property Investments behind the board's back. This followed a procurement process marred by allegations of favouritism. Moepathutse, which has denied wrongdoing or any relationship with Malaka, sued the IDT for damages and costs, which the IDT itself estimates amount to almost R14 million, after it failed to occupy the building. The IDT responded by washing its dirty linen in court. It argued that the lease was invalid because tender specifications had been 'tailormade' for Moepathutse's Irene property and because Malaka had signed without the requisite board authority. The IDT's defence took a potentially fatal hit two weeks ago when the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed a review application it had brought to set the lease aside. The judge found that the IDT had failed to prove the lease was 'tainted by any illegality' in any way. Malaka – despite being heavily conflicted – had deposed the IDT's founding affidavit. Malaka has not responded to detailed questions. Under pressure In response to amaBhungane's questions, Zikalala, now deputy to Macpherson, did not address why his endorsement of Malaka had claimed 'no wrongdoing' despite the probe's limited remit. He said, however, that he had held back Malaka's appointment for over a year pending the investigations and that she had 'engaged in legal challenges through her lawyers relating to [her] appointment'. Zikalala said that when he became minister in March 2023, his predecessor, Patricia de Lille, had already recommended Malaka to Cabinet. 'I am the minister who withdrew the [recommendation] for investigations to be conducted.' As detailed in part one, the board then considered procuring a forensic firm to conduct a probe, but hesitated to entrust the process to IDT management, then led by Malaka in acting capacity. One thing led to another and National Treasury, assisted by law firm ENS, commenced a forensic investigation on the board's behalf. Towards the end of the year, a reconstituted board, now chaired by Mshengu, canned the Treasury investigation and asked Zikalala to have his department investigate internally instead. The board's resolution still targeted Malaka though, calling for Moepathutse's selection to be probed 'specifically relating to the relationship between the lessor and the acting CEO'. But the new probe was neither forensic nor focused on Malaka. Zikalala – who said he was committed 'to serve with integrity, transparency and accountability' – shared the final report with amaBhungane. READ | This report shows that the request to investigate had been routed through the department's inter-governmental relations unit to internal audit, not its governance, risk and compliance (GRC) branch, whose remit includes fraud and corruption investigations. The audit unit agreed to help, but only with an 'assurance audit' to check compliance with control prescripts. 'Internal audit performs assurance audits and not investigations/forensic audits which reside within GRC.' So concerned were the auditors that the limitations of their approach be understood that they insisted on Zikalala's approval and board concurrence before they start. 'The minister approved the proposed assurance audit approach on the 15th of March 2024.' The internal audit chief signed off on her team's report two months later. Within its narrow lane, the report was damning. It was 'unable to provide reasonable assurance that the procurement process was fair, transparent and regular'. It identified multiple gaps in the procurement file and 'material non-compliance to procurement policies, laws and regulations'. However, the report also reiterated that 'our audit did not cover the review of conflict of interest of executive management, the board members, [and supply chain management] officials to any bidder, especially to the recommended bidder'. This, it said, 'requires special tools that we do not have'. The auditors went on to recommend that the board, in consultation with the minister, ask the GRC's anti-corruption unit after all 'to investigate further the areas' they could not cover or where information had been unavailable to them. No wrongdoing Zikalala wasted no time, least of all to initiate the deeper investigation. Instead, on 20 May 2024 – the same day the audit report was signed – Zikalala addressed a letter to Mshengu in his capacity as board chair. 'You will recall the proposal,' he wrote, 'to hold in abeyance the matter of the confirmation of Ms Tebogo Malaka… pending the conclusion of the investigation… The investigation by the department has been completed and no wrongdoing was found on the part of Ms Malaka. 'As such, I want to confirm my concurrence to the board's decision to appoint Ms Malaka as the IDT chief executive officer.' Zikalala did this knowing his audit team had not probed allegations against Malaka – and despite briefings from the previous board that Treasury had been tasked to do just that. Zikalala sent the letter nine days before the elections resulted in the ANC losing its majority and Zikalala his post. Mshengu signed off on Malaka's appointment on 3 July 2024, the day new ministers, including Macpherson, were sworn in. Both Mshengu and Zikalala denied there was any connection between their respective actions of canning the Treasury probe, declaring Malaka cleared by the department, and getting her appointed before Macpherson took charge. Mshengu, whom Macpherson removed from the board, said, 'You would also know that IDT is a state entity and its operations are not subject to changes in government. Therefore, the appointment of Ms Malaka as CEO had nothing to do with changes in government. In any event, no one knew what would be the outcomes of the national general elections.' Zikalala said the board had terminated the Treasury investigation of its own accord and that there was 'no so-called 'haste' on my part' to appoint Malaka. He reiterated that he had ordered investigations after becoming minister and had paused the appointment 'for a period of more than a year until there were legal procedures initiated against me as minister'. Another investigation Zikalala also stressed that Malaka's appointment was not the end of the road and that the GRC anti-corruption unit had in fact 'commenced its deeper investigation' as recommended by the internal auditors. That probe only started last November, months after Zikalala was replaced as minister. The department confirmed that the investigation was concluded in mid-February but was awaiting the director-general's sign-off. Its terms of reference included 'determining whether there was irregular, improper and/or criminal conduct by IDT official(s) and/or third parties'. AmaBhungane has submitted a request under the Promotion of Access to Information Act for the canned Treasury investigation reports and will do the same for the anti-corruption unit report. Who will pay? Meanwhile, the costs of this debacle continue to mount. When Moepathutse filed its damages claim, the IDT responded with a special plea, claiming that the bid had been tailored to suit Moepathutse's building and that Malaka had concluded the lease without board approval, which was required due to its value. The IDT asked the court to pause the damages suit it applied in order to review its own decision and void the lease. When the IDT finally filed the review in March 2024, the deponent to its founding affidavit was none other than Malaka – hopelessly conflicted. She put hardly any admissible evidence on the table and the outcome was predictably dire. In a judgment delivered on 16 May, acting judge S J Myburgh complained repeatedly that the IDT had provided no evidence that its decisions were improper. 'The IDT has failed to show that the agreement concluded between itself and the respondent was tainted by any illegality. I thus find myself in agreement with the argument made by the respondent that this application is simply an attempt by the IDT to avoid liability in terms of the now cancelled agreement.' The court dismissed the IDT's application with costs and Moepathutse's damages claim, which the IDT's latest annual report says now stands at almost R14 million, is effectively irresistible, unless, perhaps, the IDT throws Malaka under the bus. The bills are coming. The question is, who will pay?
News24
5 days ago
- Business
- News24
IDT mistrust: How minister Zikalala and his ‘comrade chair' nixed probes into CEO
In 2023 and 2024, allegations of procurement irregularities against beleaguered IDT chief executive Tebogo Malaka were swept under the carpet by then-IDT chair Kwazi Mshengu and then-minister Sihle Zikalala. These interventions included quashing a forensic probe facilitated by National Treasury and whitewashing an audit by Zikalala's own department. The evidence suggests a parallel effort to stymie investigations into Malaka, clearing the way for her to be elevated from acting to permanent chief executive. Both men deny the accusation. Documents obtained by amaBhungane suggest that former public works and infrastructure minister Sihle Zikalala and his close comrade, then-Independent Development Trust (IDT) chair advocate Kwazi Mshengu, mounted parallel efforts to shield the parastatal's chief executive from investigations into a R45-million lease scandal. Internal communications, board minutes and draft reports show Zikalala and Mshengu clearing the way for Tebogo Malaka's elevation from acting to permanent chief executive last year despite mounting evidence of impropriety on her part. Allegations include that Malaka concluded a lease agreement with politically exposed Moepathutse Property Investments behind the IDT board of trustees' backs and beyond her delegation of authority. The lease, for a building adjacent to a nature reserve in Irene, Centurion, was intended to provide the IDT with new headquarters, but the IDT never took occupation, leading Moepathutse to sue for R14-million in damages. Moepathutse is directed by former politician Thaba Mufamadi and his relative Vhonani Mufamadi - the brothers of President Cyril Ramaphosa's national security advisor Sydney Mufamadi. Moepathutse has denied wrongdoing or that it had a relationship with Malaka. Part one of this series shows how, soon after taking over as IDT chair, Mshengu led his board in quashing a forensic investigation facilitated by National Treasury, asking Zikalala to have his Department of Public Works and Infrastructure conduct a probe instead. Part two will examine how Zikalala tasked the department's internal auditors – but not to probe allegations against Malaka. Treasury confirmed to amaBhungane that its investigations were 'already at an advanced stage' when Mshengu pulled the plug, but that Mshengu declined to be apprised of findings so far. Zikalala was minister at the time, but has been deputy to the DA's Dean Macpherson since the formation of the government of national unity last July. Macpherson removed Mshengu from the board this year. The IDT is a multi-billion rand implementing agency of the department, responsible for social infrastructure like schools and clinics. Mshengu and Zikalala have denied any correlation between their actions, which they maintain were justified. Malaka, who is fighting to retain her position in the face of amaBhungane exposés, did not respond to detailed questions regarding the allegations against her. Stop-start tender To casual observers, it may appear as though Malaka's troubles began when Macpherson took over as minister, when in fact they started two years ago under a previous IDT board. The controversy is rooted in an early 2022 board resolution to sell the IDT's existing headquarters at an unassuming office park in Pretoria East and procure leased premises instead. Malaka was already acting chief executive at this point. The tender process was seemingly derailed in May that year when Malaka received a protected disclosure from the head of security, Wilhelm Meyer. An IDT affidavit filed as part of subsequent litigation with Moepathutse alleges that on an impromptu visit to Moepathutse's property, Meyer witnessed the chair of the bid specification committee arriving in the same car as someone connected to Moepathutse. This raised concern of an inappropriate relationship. At a subsequent meeting of the bid specification committee, the chair allegedly specified criteria – a canteen, a bicycle shed, showers – that 'surprisingly fit' Moepathutse's property. Meyer's disclosure set off a chain of events still rippling out now. A May 2023 draft report from the board to Zikalala states that Malaka did not voluntarily bring Meyer's disclosure to the board's attention until it demanded answers from her. It also alleges that 'an extensive investigation' Malaka promised Meyer was superficial at best. Nonetheless, the tender was cancelled and a second advert placed in August 2022. Despite the protected disclosure, Moepathutse was recommended as the winning bidder and an unsigned lease agreement provided to the board for approval in January 2023. Board in the dark The board was, however, unaware that Malaka had already signed a letter of award to Moepathutse in November 2022. Moepathutse signed its acceptance on the same day. The rental amounted to R45-million over five years. The board was also unaware that in December 2022, Malaka had proceeded to sign a lease agreement despite her then-finance chief warning it was above their delegation of authority and needed board approval. The board knew nothing of this when it was time to give their approval. 'An unsigned lease was provided in the board meeting pack, and no reference at all was made by [Malaka] on the fact that a signed lease existed,' the draft report to Zikalala read. It also recorded Malaka's excuse that she was 'not responsible for compiling the board pack'. The board approved the lease agreement in February 2023, in the absence of then chair Zimbini Hill and despite outstanding concerns. The following month, however, after receiving a whistleblower report deemed 'highly relevant' to the lease procurement, it rescinded its approval. It also resolved to initiate a two-part forensic investigation: into the lease procurement itself and into HR-related allegations against Malaka and other managers. It was only after this that the board was furnished with the lease Malaka had signed months earlier without authority. It is this signed lease that Moepathutse is using to back its R14-million damages claim against the IDT. Draft board minutes display trustees' dissatisfaction with Malaka: 'The board is concerned at the level of dishonesty as management never disclosed the signed lease of 2 December 2022. The CFO informed the acting CEO in an email on 2 December 2022 that the signed lease was beyond the delegation of the acting CEO and the CFO… The board cannot ignore the actions of management in how the lease matter was handled.' The draft minutes and report cite evidence that Moepathutse marketed the same building at significantly lower rates than the IDT lease. Michael Sutcliffe, an ANC-aligned veteran bureaucrat then on the board, submitted documentation allegedly showing that Moepathutse had advertised an annual rental of R4 459 932 – 43% less than the IDT's first-year commitment of R7 851 178. Moepathutse said in response to amaBhungane's questions that its price was 'the lowest of the six bids received by the IDT in response to the public tender'. The draft report to Zikalala, which was circulated to all board members and sent to Zikalala after minor edits from the trustees, states that the board had agreed on the terms of reference for the proposed forensic investigation and that the minister was briefed in detail. It is understood that the document submitted to Zikalala did not differ materially from the draft seen by amaBhungane. Board 'dysfunctional' The board now faced a dilemma. It wanted to procure a forensic firm to conduct its probe but felt it could not trust IDT management with the process. Initially, the board considered calling for bids from the department's approved panel of firms, but that panel had expired. Questions also emerged about the board's legal authority to initiate procurement. The board then mandated the company secretary to approach National Treasury about undertaking the investigation as a neutral third party. Treasury confirmed it could do so and the company secretary kick-started the process. Treasury appointed law firm ENS to assist. A dispute later arose over whether the board had actually mandated the company secretary to launch the investigation or merely to explore its feasibility. This would form the basis for a reconstituted board to halt Treasury's investigation, despite records showing that both the board and minister were briefed on the investigation's timeline and costs in September 2023. amaBhungane Moepathutse lodged its high court claim based on the disputed lease contract that same month. Zikalala subsequently intervened with a 'fact-finding mission', citing governance concerns 'arising out of the complaints raised with my office'. Two sources with knowledge of events say that shortly after Treasury's investigation commenced in October, Malaka allegedly refused to cooperate. When investigators complained, board chair Hill wrote to Malaka urging her to co-operate. Malaka lodged a grievance against Hill in turn. Soon after, Zikalala wrote to board members asking them to justify why they should not be removed 'for failure to implement the mandate of the IDT'. Hill resigned on 8 October and was followed by two more trustees. Defending his intervention to amaBhungane, Zikalala said: 'The board members were not aligned and were clearly divided on many issues rendering the board dysfunctional. After observing this state of paralysis and that this board was nowhere near fulfilling its fiduciary duties, I wrote to all board members, not just Ms Zimbini Hill... Three board members responded while others resigned.' Hill's resignation paved the way for Mshengu's entry. Zikalala appointed him as a trustee in November 2023, after which the board elected him as its chair. A former kwaZulu-Natal ANC Youth League chair, Mshengu enjoyed Zikalala's trust. When Zikalala became provincial premier in 2019, he appointed Mshengu as his education MEC. They served together until their defeat in the ANC's 2022 provincial elections, where Zikalala had stood for chair on the 'Ankole' slate with Mshengu as his deputy. Mshengu had also served as a board member on Zikalala's own charitable trust. 'Protect the board' At his inaugural meeting chairing the IDT board towards the end of November 2023, Mshengu set the tone. According to minutes, he shared 'observations' on Treasury's investigation, questioning both its terms of reference and impartiality. The board then resolved 'to consider taking a decision that would protect the board'; 'that the current forensic investigation should be halted'; and that Zikalala should be asked to have his department investigate Moepathutse's appointment 'specifically relating to the relationship between' Moepathutse and Malaka. A treasury spokesperson said in response to amaBhungane questions that it had received a letter from Mshengu that December 'instructing the treasury not to proceed further… 'However, by that point, the National Treasury's investigation was already at an advanced stage. Based on the information collected, evidence obtained from imaged computers, and consultations with relevant officials, the treasury concluded its investigation.' By that time there were already draft reports and contact had been made with the Hawks. Treasury appears not to have wanted its and ENS's work to go to waste. According to Treasury, 'In February 2024, the National Treasury wrote to the board chairperson requesting a meeting to present the findings of the investigation as at the time of termination. The chairperson, however, declined, stating that the board would not accept any investigation reports from the National Treasury, referring to the December letter terminating the Treasury's mandate.' Mshengu defended his actions, telling amaBhungane that when Zikalala and then-deputy minister Bernice Swarts introduced him to the rest of the board, they 'indicated that they had received complaints from Ms Malaka on how the investigation was conducted by National Treasury – which she viewed as having pre-determined outcomes. The ministry then requested the board to look into these allegations'. The matter was considered at the next board meeting. 'The trustees who had an advantage of being seized with the matter before my arrival unanimously disavowed that they had agreed to the appointment of National Treasury and the terms of reference. 'According to the trustees, the company secretary was mandated to check if either National Treasury or [the department] can do the investigation and advise the board. The company secretary, however, proceeded to appoint treasury without reverting to the board and to have the board consider and approve the terms of reference.' Mshengu said the decision to terminate Treasury's mandate was informed by a 'contamination of the process' and that the investigation 'was never squashed but was referred' to the department. He said his relationship with Zikalala was public knowledge and that he had declared it to the interview panel before his appointment. He had met Malaka for the first time when he became a trustee. Either way, the end of the treasury investigation proved a lifeline for Malaka. As we explain in part two, Zikalala would go on to whitewash the investigation entirely, endorsing Malaka for permanent chief executive on the basis that his inquiry 'found no wrongdoing' against her. It never, in fact, investigated her.
Daily Maverick
23-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Cash properties and new SUVs – inside Independent Development Trust CEO's R22m assets splurge
The Independent Development Trust's newly constituted board has passed a resolution calling for lifestyle audits into the entity's executive management. Daily Maverick unpacks several property transactions and vehicle purchases that might pique the investigators' interest. Trusts controlled by the Independent Development Trust's (IDT's) CEO, Tebogo Malaka, in 2023 forked out R6-million in cash for the purchase of three properties in Gauteng. This includes a plot in Gauteng's upmarket Waterfall Country Estate, where the priciest properties currently on offer sell for upwards of R20-million. Daily Maverick has established that one of Malaka's trusts is in the process of building a house on the Waterfall plot — again without a bond — and that the total cost is set to be around R12-million. This will bring to R18-million the grand total for the assets splurge that Malaka embarked on in 2023 – all paid for, or due to be paid for, in cash. Later in 2023, Malaka also forked out more than R4-million for two luxury vehicles. The IDT CEO purchased a brand-new Porsche Cayenne SUV and a Range Rover Sport, each with a price tag of at least R2-million. Unlike the properties, Malaka seemingly bought the vehicles through financing arrangements. However, the new wheels may still raise questions over Malaka's ability to service the instalments, especially when these purchases are viewed alongside the cash transactions for the properties. Malaka has strongly denied any wrongdoing. Last week, the queries Daily Maverick sent out for this piece seemingly triggered a hefty social media campaign aimed at discrediting our work. On the same day that we sent our questions to Malaka, an account on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that Daily Maverick and this journalist were part of a 'coordinated information ecosystem' that seeks to unfairly target the likes of Malaka. On Good Friday, another X account posted fake screengrabs purporting to show Whatsapp messages between this reporter and Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson's chief of staff. The falsified messages again sought to show that this reporter was acting in cahoots with dubious forces that were out to tarnish Malaka's reputation. The fake messages also made specific reference to the assets Malaka had acquired through her trusts. Speaking through a law firm that Malaka had appointed after we sent her our queries, the IDT CEO denied that she had played any role in disseminating fake news. 'Any suggestion that our client is involved in any form of wrongdoing, or in the manufacturing or distribution of the purported false information, is categorically denied. Our client asserts that she had no role in, nor responsibility for, the alleged activities referenced in your correspondence. Any such allegation is without merit and is firmly rejected,' reads a letter from her attorneys. 'Not public information' As the IDT's political custodian, Macpherson recently called for lifestyle audits into the IDT's top management. The IDT's board of trustees, now chaired by businesswoman Zimbini Hill, subsequently passed a resolution that approved broad-ranging lifestyle audits into Malaka and other senior IDT executives. The resolution comes on the back of several media exposés involving IDT contracts worth hundreds of millions of rands. In October last year, Daily Maverick revealed that the IDT had awarded the lion's share of a R836-million oxygen plants project to Bulkeng, an apparent 'ghost company' that did not possess the necessary accreditation to deal in medical equipment. The National Department of Health, on whose behalf the IDT managed the project, has since pulled out of the contracts. In light of the upcoming lifestyle audits, Daily Maverick's latest offering delves into the properties and vehicles that Malaka and her trusts bought in the space of just one year. Our report comes with an important caveat: We neither possess any evidence that the assets were purchased with funds linked to IDT contracts, nor are we suggesting that this was the case. However, the transactions detailed in this piece will almost certainly feature in the upcoming lifestyle audits. The investigators are sure to take a keen look at especially the cash purchases, seeing as the movement of large sums of money is a key consideration in any instance where there are concerns over alleged corruption, fraud and money laundering. What's more, the timing of the assets splurge may also raise further red flags. The properties and cars were all purchased in 2023. During that year, the IDT oversaw tender processes for some of its most contentious contracts, including those that were awarded for the oxygen plants initiative. We specifically asked Malaka how she and her trusts had managed to acquire the assets in such a short space of time, especially those properties that had been bought without bank loans. We also wanted to know how she would finance the multimillion-rand building project on the Waterfall plot. 'The source of income of the trust used for the acquisition of the properties in question is not public information. Our client elects not to disclose any further details in this regard,' stated Malaka's attorneys. 'It is denied that our client has, or had, any influence over the appointment of any service providers to the IDT. All appointments were made through a public tender process, in which representatives from the relevant government departments formed part of the evaluation panel,' said the attorneys. The two apartments In early 2023, Malaka set out to purchase two apartments, both of which were paid for by means of cash transfers. The properties were acquired through the Mmutla Wa Noko Family Trust. According to two sources familiar with Malaka's affairs, the IDT CEO had set up the trust to manage some of her family's assets. The Mmutla trust first forked out R1.1-million for a unit in a residential development in Fourways, Johannesburg. Deeds records show that the trust bought the property in February 2023, and that the transfer was concluded in June that year. In March 2023, the Mmutla trust bought a second apartment, this time paying R1.25-million. The unit is located in Centurion. Like the first apartment, there is no bond registered to this property, which means the trust had concluded the purchase through a cash transfer. Waterfall Country Estate Malaka is also a trustee of the Magogodi Family Trust, which was registered at the Master of the High Court in Pretoria in June 2023. In July 2023, one month after the trust was founded, it paid R3.6-million for an empty stand in the upmarket Waterfall Country Estate, located to the north of Johannesburg. The Deeds Office records don't reflect any bond registered for the purchase, so Malaka's trust would have had to come up with this substantial figure in cash. In other words, in the space of just six months, Malaka's two trusts had somehow accessed R6-million to pay for the two apartments and the Waterfall erf. Daily Maverick has established that construction on the Waterfall plot started some time in late 2024. The construction project serves as confirmation that Malaka is the controlling hand behind the Magogodi trust. We were able to establish that Malaka had briefed key roleplayers involved in the Waterfall development, and that she had personally appointed some of the key contractors. According to sources familiar with the project, Malaka's trust is set to spend at least R12-million on the construction costs, finishes and related expenses. Given the absence of a bond from a financial institution, the trust would somehow have to cover these costs in cash. Shiny rides In July 2023, Malaka bought a grey Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupé. In December of that year, she also purchased a new Range Rover Sport. The records available to Scorpio don't reflect the costs for each purchase, but the average price tag for these models is well north of R2-million. Board resolution The IDT's board of trustees was only recently restored to a full quorum after months of inactivity. One of its first decisions was to give the go-ahead for lifestyle audits on key IDT personnel. 'The reconstituted Board has made it a priority to strengthen governance and rebuild public trust in the IDT, an entity critical to the delivery of social infrastructure in South Africa. To this end, the Board has resolved to introduce a policy on lifestyle audits, aligning with the Public Sector Integrity Management Framework, which encourages the use of lifestyle audits to detect and prevent unethical conduct,' the board said in a written response to Daily Maverick. 'This policy forms part of a broader strategy to promote ethical leadership, transparency and accountability within the organisation. The lifestyle audits will not be conducted on an ad hoc basis but will form part of a structured governance approach. They will initially focus on senior management and individuals occupying high-risk roles, particularly in areas such as supply chain management,' explained the board. The board of trustees wants to use lifestyle audits as a means to mend the public's trust in the entity. 'The Board believes this step is necessary to ensure that those entrusted with the management of public resources conduct themselves with integrity and accountability. While the IDT continues to play a significant role in delivering public infrastructure, restoring public trust remains a priority. The Board is committed to ensuring that the institution operates with high standards of governance, ethical conduct and public confidence.' DM
