President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed three proclamations authorising the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration and recover any losses suffered by the state.

• The SIU has been authorised to investigate three entities for alleged corruption and maladministration.
• The unit will investigate the UIF for irregularities uncovered in the payment of TERS funds.
• The Gauteng Enterprise Propeller and eThekwini Municipality will also come under investigation.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will investigate the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality amid allegations of corruption and maladministration.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed three proclamations authorising the SIU to investigate the allegations and to recover any losses suffered by the state.
“The proclamations authorise the SIU to unleash all its legislative powers to subpoena bank statements and cellphone records, search and seize evidence and interrogate witnesses under oath in a quest to hold those responsible to account for their actions,” SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said.
The SIU investigation into the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, an agency of the Gauteng government, will focus on a tender for the Township Entrepreneur Awards in 2017, as well as project management services for the Pitching Booster Initiative in Sedibeng in 2018.
“The SIU will also investigate any unlawful or improper conduct by employees of the agency, suppliers and any other person or entity in relation to the above-mentioned transactions,” Kganyago said.
The second proclamation authorises the SIU to investigate the UIF for the payment of Covid-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) benefits to people who were not entitled to receive payments or who submitted false, irregular, invalid or defective applications to the UIF.
“The SIU investigated TERS payments under secondment agreement with the Department of Labour, which had since expired. The investigation uncovered a number of irregularities in the TERS payments, which prompted the corruption-busting unit to apply for a proclamation. The SIU will now use all its legislative powers to get to the bottom of TERS payments and hold those responsible to account,” Kganyago said.
The third proclamation will give the SIU powers to investigate the eThekwini Municipality for the “alienation” of immovable property for the provision of housing through the municipality’s Human Settlements Infill Housing Programme. It was allegedly contrary to the municipality’s policies.
“The investigation will also focus on the transfer or sale of vacant properties by developers appointed by the municipality for purpose of the municipality’s Human Settlements Infill Housing Programme in breach of the developers’ contractual obligations, and contrary to the objectives of the municipality’s housing programme,” Kganyago said.
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