The old adage that justice delayed is justice denied is particularly true of the myriad Covid-19 corruption scandals in the Eastern Cape and elsewhere that have failed to result in a single person being jailed or even facing disciplinary action.
It seems impossible to believe that six years after the alleged corruption occurred and four years since it was subsequently exposed by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and other investigations, no-one has faced any consequences of any kind.
In the Buffalo City Metro, six officials allegedly implicated in such irregularities by the SIU have yet to face internal processes.
In fact, for three years BCM did its best to sweep the entire disreputable, stinking mess under the proverbial carpet.
In 2022, the SIU released its findings stemming from its investigation into emergency procurement processes initiated during the national state of disaster in 2020.
It identified irregularities in thousands of contracts nationally worth about R8.9bn.
It found that BCM’s emergency procurement of 335 temporary housing units, at a cost of R21m, was beset with irregularities in how contracts were awarded and payments processed.
Hopefully, BCM will, for once, act with urgency and in the interests of all
A tiny percentage of the units that were supposed to be built were ever completed but a jaw-dropping R21m was approved and paid out to contractors.
Instead of acting against the officials named in the SIU report, the metro kept it under wraps until visiting national parliamentarians instructed it in 2025 to table the report in council and take action against those implicated.
The metro’s disciplinary board belatedly reviewed the SIU report and in January this year concluded there was prima facie evidence of misconduct and recommended that disciplinary action be taken.
It was only at this point that the metro’s human settlements head, Luyanda Mbula, and senior project manager Sandile Gqiba reportedly approached the Makhanda high court on an urgent basis in a bid to interdict the disciplinary process pending an application to have the findings of the SIU and the metro’s disciplinary board reviewed and set aside.
Not surprisingly, the court dismissed the application on the basis that there could be no urgency when the officials concerned had known about the SIU findings since 2022.
The fact that BCM has waited four years to do the right thing is unfair on the officials concerned as well as long-suffering taxpayers whose hard-earned money was allegedly used for nefarious, rather than noble purposes during a global pandemic.
As things stand, justice for all concerned has been deferred for far too long.
Hopefully, BCM will, for once, act with urgency and in the interests of all.
Daily Dispatch
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