Gauteng education minister Angie Motshekga said on Friday she had no knowledge of any investigation of her by the Auditor General.
She was reacting to reports that she was being investigated by the Auditor General for possible tender irregularities. ”Let me state outright that I do not know of any investigation by the AG against me in the department,” she said.
”The head of department, Mr MaLlele PeTje, confirms the same.”
Motshekga stressed that an ”engagement letter” issued by the Auditor General to both the head of department and audit teams detailing work to be covered in an audit was part of ”a normal process”.
”The scope covers mainly conflict-of-interest matters.”
She said those pointing fingers at her need educating about the difference between an engagement letter and an investigation in the process of audit.
According to a report in the Star, a performance-audit engagement letter from Mike Oberholzer of the Auditor General’s office said its electronic analysis revealed employees of education and other departments ”were members of close corporations that supplied goods or rendered services to the department for the period April 1 2005 and January 31 2007”.
The newspaper wrote that while she is being probed herself, Motshekga was accusing her own chief director, Thami Mali, of running a ”police state” in the department because he was conducting a series of unrelated investigations.
She had ordered him to stop all investigations, according to the report.
Motshekga said Mali’s questioning some officials about her recent trip to Russia with the Premier, Mbhazima Shilowa, was ”deplorable and reflects arrogance, ill-discipline and recklessness of the worse kind ever” for a public servant at Mali’s rank, against an elected and political representative.
She called his behaviour untouchable and said it could not be condoned and would ”have to stop forthwith regardless of who the personality is”.
Motshekga said she was convinced of an attempt to cast aspersions on her as provincial minister. ”[However], the department has received unqualified audit opinions in the previous four years consecutively. The leadership of the department is sound and highly effective.” — Sapa