R13.8m lost to corruption in EPWP budgets

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has revealed that about R13.8 million may have been lost to corruption across the expanded public works programmes (EPWP).

Zikalala said verifications done with the Department of Public Service and Administration Personnel and Salaries (Persal) management system have identified suspicious transactions on the EPWP-allocated budgets that may have been lost to corruption, undeserving beneficiaries and theft.

“An estimated R13.8 million may have been lost to corruption across the EPWP sectors and public bodies.

“The R13.8m was lost through payments done to undeserving beneficiaries or participants benefiting from budgets allocated to the EPWP.

“These participants are assumed to be undeserving participants as they appear as permanent government officials on the Persal system. Therefore the amount referenced... can be regarded as money lost through theft,” he said.

Zikalala responded to parliamentary questions from DA MP Sello Seitlholo, who enquired about the total amount of the allocated EPWP budget that has been lost to corruption, undeserving beneficiaries and theft.

Seitlholo also enquired about the total amount recovered and paid back to the state in the past 10 financial years.

Zikalala said although interventions had been made by his department to address the findings related to corruption, payments to undeserving beneficiaries and theft in the EPWP, the department did not have records of monies recovered and paid back to the state.

“However, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) will develop standard operating procedures for outlining practical processes which will be followed to stop payments for cases detected, and recover monies paid to beneficiaries through corruption, payments to undeserving beneficiaries and theft in the future,” he said.

Zikalala also said R105 530 061 was spent on project expenditure on the EPWP over the past five years.

A total of R55 635 351 054 was paid in wages to participants on the programme during the same period.

He said 4 713 911 people have benefited from the EPWP in the past five financial years.

The minister stated that R4.650 billion has been paid to the Independent Development Trust (IDT), as an implementing partner.

Cape Times

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