The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) has launched an investigation into the construction of the R15 million Lesseyton sports facility in the Enoch Mgijima Municipality in the Eastern Cape.
In a statement, the Hawks said the probe comes after a complaint was lodged against the municipality. The matter it said, is receiving the necessary attention.
“The probe is still in its infancy stages and as soon as all statements and necessary documents have been obtained and perused, the matter will be referred to the Director for Public Prosecutions for decision to prosecute,” said Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo on Friday.
In a separate statement, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Fikile Xasa, expressed concern over the disproportion between the amount spent on constructing the sports and the sports facility that was unveiled on Monday.
According to media reports, the facility, which cost R15 million, is an open field with just a few stadium seats and ablution facilities. The committee welcomed the call by the Eastern Cape Provincial MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Xolile Nqatha for an explanation.
“We are hoping that there will be meaningful accountability on a project of that nature,” said Xasa adding that another concern is that the municipality owed Eskom R400 million and the Auditor General R2.2 million, as at November 2020.
It should therefore be demonstrating financial sobriety, said Xasa.
The committee said it hoped for a speedy investigation into the matter to establish a detailed expenditure on the sports facility.
“It is important for the municipality to be transparent and account for every cent of the taxpayers’ money that was spent on this project. The committee is going to monitor closely how this matter is handled and resolved.”
The committee condemned any misuse of public funds and hopes that if public funds have been used inappropriately, consequences will be applied to the perpetrators.
Source: South African Government News Agency