The City of Johannesburg Mayoral Committee (MAYCOM) has promised that there will be consequences for those found to have acted outside of the law pertaining to Emergency Procurement Compliance Plan (EPCP).
The Maycom met on Friday (2 October 2020) to discuss the findings of the draft special internal audit report reviewing COVID-19 emergency procurement that happened between 15 March and 31st March 2020.
In terms of the internal Special Audit Report recommendations, the City would once again like to clarify the following:
The City Manager implemented the control through Emergency Procurement Compliance Plan (EPCP) as from the 1st April 2020 to manage the COVID-19 emergency expenditure, which included the establishment of an Emergency Expenditure Compliance Monitoring Committee (EECMC).
Through the EECMC the internal audit was requested to conduct a special audit on all COVID-19 procurement of emergency Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensure compliance with the City’s Supply Chain Management policy requirements.
Acting Executive Mayor Cllr Mpho Moerane urged patience with the final report as lawful processes had to be followed before a final outcome could be announced.
Cllr Moerane is acting in the position while the Executive Mayor Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo is on leave. The Executive Mayor returns to work on Monday (October 5, 2020).
“While we all want to see speedy action taking against any wrong doers, the lawful process requires that the findings of the audit report be sent back to the relevant departments for their comments before a final decision is made.
“The terms of the Internal Audit Standards require that those who are implicated be afforded an opportunity to respond to the findings.
“The Mayoral Committee shares the concerns of the Johannesburg ratepayers to see a speedy implementation of the audit report’s findings. We have also taken the comments by the Auditor-General that there was generally a lack of consequence management for those found to have acted wrongfully and even unlawfully in the local government space. We can assure the A-G and the people of Johannesburg that there will be consequences this time around,” said Cllr Moerane.
Added Cllr Moerane: “Employees who are found to have used the emergency procurement process during the Covid-19 for fraud, corruption or any illegal activity will face the rule of law.
“Corruption has no place in the City of Johannesburg. The City will work tirelessly, and in collaboration with institutions such as the Hawks and SAPS to ensure that corruption is eradicated and that residents of Johannesburg receive the quality services they deserve.”
The City would also like to encourage people to report any fraud and corruption activities through the 24hour tipoff hotline 0800 002 587 or visit the GFIS offices situated at 48 Ameshoff Street in Braamfontein.
