SA-Zim border fence, now fencing trouble for govt officials
The multi-million Rand fence that never fenced anything
An investigation which revealed a litany of incompetence and wrongdoing in the emergency construction of a fence between SA and Zimbabwe has recommended disciplinary action against 14 government officials.
Public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille said senior officials in her department had allegedly committed a range of acts of misconduct during the procurement and construction of the 37km Beitbridge border fence.
This was one of the findings of an investigation commissioned by De Lille after media reports about the inadequacy of the fence.
De Lille released an executive summary of the report on Saturday and said the full document would be sent to law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies and parliament.
She said the department would pursue “disciplinary, criminal, civil and systemic consequence management” processes against those suspected of wrongdoing.
In addition, the fence would be investigated “in terms of the presidential proclamation mandating the Special Investigating Unit to investigate Covid-19 related projects and bring the matter before the SIU tribunal”.
De Lille said the investigation “has not found any evidence of impropriety on my part and has also not found any evidence to suggest that I benefited personally from this project in any way whatsoever”.
She pledged to ensure that “any official who has been found guilty of any wrongdoing will be dealt in the appropriate manner and will be held accountable.”
–Zimetro
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