DUMISANE LUBISI, Nelspruit | Tuesday
MORE than 6_000 cases of fraud and corruption have been reported to Mpumalanga’s government anti-corruption hotline over the past year, says provincial director general Stanley Soko.
He said 6_600 cases had been phoned in on the toll free number, or reported at the hotline office in the Premier’s Office, in the 12 months since it was established in February last year.
“It has even received calls from people.in other provinces on corruption in their area,” he said, adding that the information was passed on to the relevant provincial governments.
The hotline is manned by three officials, including an investigator who probes reported cases. They work directly with the Nelspruit fraud and other police units to speed up investigations.
So far, 3_280 cases have been solved, but Soko could not say how many officials had been dismissed. He said police and national government were currently investigating 1_040 cases.
Soko said the government’s labour relations department had hired qualified attorneys and magistrates to fast track internal disciplinary hearings against officials.
Since January, the labour relations directorate has dealt with 58 cases ranging from fraud, theft, corruption and misuse of government vehicles, abscondment, absenteeism and insubordination.
A total of 32 officials have been dismissed, while seven officials were suspended without pay, one demoted and eight were warned. Another seven were acquitted and cases against three officials were withdrawn because of lack of evidence.
The hotline has been especially effective in cutting back on the number of civil servants who use State vehicles for personal use, said Soko.
He said the government had begun blacklisting individuals and companies who entice government officials into corrupt activities, but he declined to mention names. – African Eye News Service
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