By Obakeng Maje
North West MEC for Public Works Raymond Elisha stated that his office is adamant to continue uprooting fraud and corruption in the department. “Yes there is leadership in the department, it does not mean that when officials are being put on precautionary suspensions and charged then the department is collapsing,” said Elisha.

“There are dedicated men and women in the department who are diligently undertaking their tasks. People are talking because we have closed taps from which they have been fraudulently benefiting from the department,” he added.

The MEC indicated that Mr Sam Thobakgale has been appointed Acting Head (HoD) of Department and Mr Thapelo Makhetha is still the HoD of the department.

He said Makhetha has just been seconded to North West Transport Investment Cooperation (NTI) for about six months to lead an interim board that is charged with restoring governance at NTI. Elisha explained that this was after the previous board was suspended following irregularities that were unearthed at the entity which is 100 percent owned by the North West Provincial Government.

There are four senior officials who were earlier suspended, before MEC Elisha came into office and these were then Acting HoD, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Director: Roads and Director Supply Chain. Their suspensions were related to the awarding of the Koster-Lichtenburg road project.

The MEC continued to announce that five other officials were recently placed on precautionary suspensions.

These included the following: • Chief Director: Transportation, • Chief Director: Facility Management, • Director: Transportation, • Acting Director: Facility Management • Control Inspector: Facility Management.

Elisha said that some of the officials including those at the NTI were suspended due to a syndicate that was discovered operating within the department’s transport portfolio.
The activities of the syndicate involving officials, service providers and other members of the community affected the transport portfolio, roads and building maintenance portfolio and the Mahikeng revitalisation programme.-TDN
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