Three of the Eastern Cape’s most senior officials face possible criminal charges after confirming this week that key documentary evidence relating to an alleged property scam has gone missing.
Education chief Phillip Qokweni, public works chief Dumisani Mafu and finance counterpart Monde Tom all failed to return calls on the issue this week.
The evidence allegedly detailed how the government rented one of its own buildings from a local property company at a massively inflated rate, then let the office block stand empty for more than a year before cancelling the contract.
The deal cost the taxpayer R600000 before the government stopped payment. No charges have been lodged against the officials involved, despite indications that at least one had personal interests in the property company.
Now, all documentary, electronic and financial records relating to the incident appear to have vanished from government archives.
The Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) this week lodged formal requests for possible criminal charges against Qokweni, Mafu and Tom.
PSAM researcher Unathi Millie said the officials failed to release their records, despite being obliged to do so under the new Promotion of Access to Information Act.
“We used the Act to compel disclosure, but no department produced a file or record. The finance department said no records existed,” said Millie, adding that PSAM had asked the Public Protector, the National Archives and Auditor General to urgently check whether the province was meeting its legal obligations.
“We have been monitoring 80 similar cases in the province and are concerned at the apparent failure to prosecute implicated officials. The common excuse is that records are missing and there is insufficient evidence,” said Millie.
The Special Investigation Unit has advised the province to lodge gross misconduct charges against its former deputy director for buildings, Theo Panagis, after he claimed all records on the incident were missing.
Panagis, who has resigned on full benefits, could not be reached for comment. — African Eye News Service