Joburg's R986,129 Wall Scandal: How a Councillor's Diligence Uncovered the Truth

• A subcontractor reportedly submitted fraudulent photocopies and invoices for a boundary wall that cost the City of Johannesburg nearly one million rand
• The diligent work of a ward councillor and complaints from members of the community resulted in a probe, which exposed the fraud
• The Ward councillor's investigation revealed fraudulent invoices and photos that were submitted as proof of completion

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — The diligent work of a ward councillor in Johannesburg ensured that fraud in the City of Johannesburg was uncovered. The City of Johannesburg paid almost R1 million for a non-existent project in 2022.

According to Daily Maverick, Faeeza Chame, the ward councillor for Ward 57, uncovered that a subcontractor was allegedly paid for erecting a boundary wall at the Moffat View Old Age Home. The old age home's residents complained that the lack of a boundary wall exposed them to criminal activity.

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Government paid almost R1 million for wall

Residents complained that thieves constantly broke into the old-age home by jumping the fence and stealing furniture and personal belongings. The request for the wall was activated quickly. However, six months after the project's commencement, she made enquiries, and to her surprise, she was informed that the wall had been built. This was despite her visiting the facility often and seeing no wall.

After challenging the allegation that a wall was built, she found out that the pictures submitted as proof of completion were from the Reuven Retirement Village, another old-age home. The former MMC for Human Settlements, Anthea Leitch, wrote a letter on 22 December 2023 and requested that the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) investigate the irregular payment.

Leitch also revealed that five different invoices for the wall and pointed out that there were anomalies, which were red flags. The invoices showed scaffolding costs despite the wall being twometres high, plastering costs, and the absence of foundation costs. An official from Johannesburg's Human Settlements department contacted Themba Mathibe, who was recently arrested for money laundering, and informed him that proper procedures were not followed.

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The City of Johannesburg confirmed that it had paid R986,129 for the contract, and the money was recovered and removed. A forensic investigation was concluded in March 2024. Mathibe, who was implicated in the investigation as he was the Chief Operating Officer, was released on bail recently.

KZN transport department faces R672 million tender probe

In a related article, Briefly News reported that senior members of the KwaZulu-Natal are under investigation as the provincial government uncovered procurement irregularities. A tender worth R672 million is at the centre of the investigation.

The department reportedly awarded the contract after only one bid was registered, despite four submissions being made. A senior official ignored a warning that the bid validity period had expired and awarded the tender.

Source: Briefly News