JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Nelspruit | Thursday 6.30PM.
MPUMALANGA’S provincial government is facing yet another corruption scandal following an urgent request for the Heath special investigative unit to probe a suspected R19,3-million salary scam.
The request from Mpumalanga’s portfolio committee on public accounts was ratified by the legislature on Thursday after uncooperative officials managed to stall a two-day public hearing into the alleged scam.
The new corruption charges were revealed in an Auditor General’s special report on Tuesday which detailed financial facilitation services by the Mpumalanga Parks Board for its mother department of environmental affairs.
The AG pointed out in his report that supposed salary payments of only R950000 out of more than R20,2-million rand could be substantiated. The remaining R19,3-million was at best unauthorised expenditure but had more probably been embezzled, said committee chairman Hein Mentz on Thursday.
“Our request for an urgent investigation by Heath reflects our conviction that there was definitely corruption,” Mentz told the legislature.