Ladies and gentlemen,
One of the outcomes of the Provincial Government is that of strengthening the developmental state and the promotion of good governance.
Good governance is critical for the achievement of the outcomes as set out in the Government Programme of Action. As such - given the challenges of the scarcity of resources and the need to ensure that we make optimal use of the resources and achieve maximum impact; we have the responsibility to provide leadership in how the department conducts its business.
Part of the responsibility is to ensure that the governance structures are in place and function properly. It is therefore the task of the leadership and management to exercise oversight, by guiding planning, allocation of resources and the execution of the various tasks in the organisation.
A building was identified on Diagonal Street and negotiations were entered into with the owners (Landlord) after the department expressed interest in moving to the building in question. Naturally it was expected that the managers responsible would set in motion the process of relocating staff through the normal procurement processes.
Among other things, it was agreed that the building did not require any major facelift and/or upgrading. Another positive factor was that, given the good condition the building is said to be in; maintenance and rental costs would be lower.
In this regard - it is said that the only services that were required were those of space planners.
A service provider was appointed, without following proper procurement processes, for purposes of assisting the department with space planning and the facilitation of the movement of staff to the new building.
Action taken by the department to remedy the situation:
- We have since suspended two officials, one chief director and a deputy director who were directly involved in the process of moving the department to alternative office accommodation.
- Procurement processes were not followed in appointing the space planners. The decision to appoint should have been subject to recommendation by the department’s Acquisitions Council (DAC).
- We have terminated the services of the service provider appointed to work on space planning.
- We are conducting a fully-fledged investigation into the process.
- The Department of Infrastructure Development will conduct its own forensic investigation to ascertain if there are officials in that department who may have acted with malice.
We will endeavour to complete both the investigation and the disciplinary process as soon as possible.
We remain committed to ensuring that there is a sound corporate governance process and that rules are properly followed.
Enquiries:
Emmanuel Mdawu
Tel: 011 355 2665
Cell: 082 848 1452
E-mail: emmanuel.mdawu@gauteng.gov.za
