In a significant move towards tackling corruption within the provincial government, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) Integrity Commission have formalised their collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This agreement marks a decisive step in the fight against corruption, with a particular focus on conducting lifestyle audits on government officials.
This document has been established to foster robust governance, ethics, and integrity through concerted oversight efforts.
Under this framework, the SIU will partner with the GPL Integrity Commissioner to engage in a variety of activities aimed at enhancing accountability within the government's ranks.
These include responding to complaints, sharing crucial reports, exchanging governance information, and embarking on joint projects.
Moreover, the agreement makes provisions for leveraging shared expertise, organising round table discussions, and facilitating the referral of complaints, enabling a level of cooperation that promises to strengthen oversight mechanisms across all spheres of governmental operations.
This initiative follows recent assertions made by the DA provincial chairperson, Solly Msimanga, who accused Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi of neglecting to implement lifestyle audits on provincial government officials.
Speaking at a media briefing, Msimanga emphasised: “The lifestyle audits that Premier Lesufi claims have been completed have not been made public. For the last two years, we have been assured that this process has been completed. These lifestyle audits are also critical to clamping down on corruption.”
Advocate Andy Mothibi, head of the SIU, lauded this partnership as a pivotal move towards developing specific implementation strategies through project-related agreements, with a Monitoring and Implementation Committee set to conduct quarterly assessments.
Koko Mashigo, the Integrity Commissioner for the GPL, remarked: “This collaboration is a milestone in the collective goals of both organisations. This partnership is built on mutual respect, trust, and a shared vision of making a broader impact by ensuring that the institutions we represent and all spheres of government conform to the highest standard of ethical behaviour.”
Mothibi also expressed optimism about this new chapter in combating corruption within public institutions, referring to the MoU as a promise to work collaboratively to innovate and add value that transcends individual capabilities.
“We believe that by combining our strengths, we can achieve a remarkable objective in the fight against corruption, maladministration, and malpractices in South Africa,” he stated.
Mothibi, who this week told members of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development about the latest developments within the unit and the efforts being made to strengthen collaborations with provincial and local government departments, has hailed this development as a new chapter in ensuring improved levels of integrity.
“In our continued effort to enhance accountability and prevention of corruption, the SIU has expanded its capacity through secondment agreements to conduct lifestyle audits within government and state-owned entities. Over the course of the year, lifestyle audits were conducted at Prasa, the Gauteng Office of the Premier, and the Free State Department of Community Safety, Roads, and Transport,” he said.
The Star
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