The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal has fired its chief financial officer (CFO), Zanele Dlamini and Zinhle Pfute, the Chief Director of Infrastructure Programme Coordination, for alleged corruption.
The two senior officials were fired as per the recommendations of the disciplinary panels that looked into their charges.
They were suspended last year shortly after the suspension of Siboniso Majola, the Head of Department (HOD).
According to a statement from the department, Dlamini was found guilty of failing to conduct
oversight, mitigate budgetary violations as well as missing documents and minutes.
Departmental findings further show that she overlooked the relationship between the two companies as evident in the CSD Registration Reports, among other documents. Moreover, she was found to have been behind irregularities in procurement processes, and approved recommendations despite clear red flags, among others.
“Whilst in the final stages of her disciplinary proceedings and awaiting the findings of her
disciplinary hearing, she submitted her resignation prior to the release of the chairperson’s report, failing to serve her notice period in compliance with her contractual obligations. The department has accepted this resignation along with the outcome of the disciplinary report,” the department said.
Further findings concluded that as Bid Adjudication Committee Chairperson, Dlamini violated the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) which imposes specific obligations on officials in the public sector. These include submission of all documentation for bidding purposes and that officials ensure effective, efficient, and transparent systems of financial and risk management.
Pfute was also found guilty on several charges emanating from the same matter where a company that rigged a bid was awarded a R52. 6 million.
“Concluded findings found her guilty of failing to identify that two of the companies had common directors, failed to identify that two companies had operated from the same premises, failed to identify that two companies had submitted competing bids for the tenders listed by the department.
“And appeared to be engaging in bid rigging or ‘cover quoting’, and did not identify that one of the companies had not properly declared their relationship on the required documentation and had misrepresented their ownership and management structures, among other failures,” the department said.
The MEC for the department, Martin Meyer said he hoped that the latest outcomes will discourage other officials who have neglected their entrusted duties, including the mitigation of risk and prevention of wasteful expenditures for the department.
He further reiterated his commitment to declassifying all disciplinary reports in the public interest once the disciplinary processes are complete and any potential appeals have been exhausted.
