Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has welcomed the R67-million recovery order obtained by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) against a plumbing contractor found to have defrauded the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

The order, granted by the Special Tribunal, also prevented a potential counterclaim by the contractor of R33-million.

The order relates to contracts totalling R67-million that were awarded to the contractor between 2015 and 2019.

The investigation uncovered a complex network of corruption involving falsified bidding documents, undisclosed conflicts of interest and payments made to officials who manipulated the tendering process.

The department will also strengthen financial controls and ensure that all procurement is fair, transparent and compliant with the law. In this regard, Macpherson stated that the department is working with the SIU to finalise lifestyle audits for over 400 high-risk officials.

“This recovery order is another important step in our efforts to root out corruption and recover stolen public funds, as we work to build an efficient department capable of delivering construction projects on time and within budget.

“We will hold contractors and officials accountable for wrongdoing, no matter how long ago it occurred,” he says.

“Together with law enforcement agencies, we are working hard to turn the DPWI into the economic delivery unit of South Africa, thereby ensuring that infrastructure projects are completed on time and within budget, and that not a cent of public funds is wasted.

“Corruption will not be tolerated. We are building a better department in order to build a better South Africa,” he says.