The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), in response to claims made in an IOL story, denies that President Cyril Ramaphosa is using it to pursue opponents in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Ramaphosa has authorized the SIU to investigate claims of corruption and poor management in the operations of 11 government agencies, including the Newcastle Municipality and the KZN transport department.
According to the magazine, several ANC structures in the province have expressed concerns about the timing of the probe and suggested that Ramaphosa could be deliberately picking on them.
The SIU criticized IOL in a statement for the report’s substance and headline, claiming, among other things: “The headline and the article are deceiving the public and are not founded on facts. Therefore, the SIU rejects the implication that it is being exploited as a political instrument by anyone with the disdain it merits. The SIU operates independently and without favoritism or bias. Since we get the allegations from whistleblowers, all of our investigations are allegation-based.
The SIU, which answers to President Cyril Ramaphosa, said that other government agencies in other provinces are also being looked at, so KZN was not being singled out in its investigations. Andy Mothibi, an advocate, is the organization’s head.
“It is therefore concerning that, of the 14 government departments that the SIU has been authorized to investigate in the current proclamations; only four are in KwaZulu Natal (KZN). These investigations include the provincial department of health, like all other provinces, the KZN transport department, the Newcastle Local Municipality and the procurement of blankets at the KZN’s South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) office. The article only singles out the KZN. We are investigating multiple government departments, institutions and State entities all over the country. KZN is not singled out in our investigations”
Investigative Special Unit
IOL had quoted Mafika Damane Mndebele, the ANC Youth League coordinator in KZN, who had expressed worry that the probe was concentrating on towns and departments run by the provincial leaders chosen at the most recent provincial conference. Allies of Ramaphosa were defeated by the ANC’s so-called “Taliban” group, which has Jacob Zuma’s support.