August 7th, 2012
DAFF hands over the investigations in the fisheries branch to the SAPS
6 Sep 2012
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has officially handed its investigation into suspected financial and procurement irregularities, maladministration, and corruption in the Fisheries Branch of the department to the South African Police Services (SAPS).
“The investigation is effectively out of the hands of the department and the Minister. Once complete, the SAPS will advise the department on appropriate actions to be taken,” the acting director general, Sipho Ntombela confirmed.
In March 2012, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, initiated a forensic investigation into the award and multiple extensions of the vessel management function to a shipping management company. Essentially the investigation had to establish whether there were irregularities in the past tenders and management thereof awarded to the company and to its business associates. Smit Amandla Marine has been providing the vessel management function to Government for the past 10 to 12 years.
The investigation mentioned above has reached a critical stage and the department has thus decided to hand it over to the SAPS for finalisation.
“The initial investigation was carried out by a reputable forensic firm that uncovered that there are possible cases of corruption in the Fisheries branch. The investigation by the SAPS is a culmination of this process”, Ntombela concludes.
Below please find a timeline of the events leading up to the handing over of the case to the SAPS:
Timeline:
- 2000 to 2005: The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism awards Smit Amandla Marine a tender for five years
- 2005 to 2010: The contact is extended for another five years, no tender process
- 2010: Contract is extended for a year
- 2011: Contract is extended for a year
- March 2012: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries initiates investigation into the matter
- August 2012: Initial findings reveal possible irregularities in procurement, financial management and corruption
September 9, 2012 at 3:35 am
What is important to note is that the minister is ignoring a confidential and damning forensics report, which I have, that shows that there was a attempt to corruptly and irregularly try to award this contract to Sekunjalo which is a company owned by Iqbal Serve who was trained by Brett Kebble in the intricateness of getting there hands on contracts when they don’t posses the knowhow of handling the work effectively(tenderpreneurship).
Instead Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has declared that the company that had the contract for 12 years has been corrupt, has overcharged the department and was guilty of fronting.”I have the evidence she proclaimed” in a portfolio committee meeting. When I asked to see it her advisor, Duncan Hindle, told me he had spoken to Tina and she has no evidence. How is it possible that the Auditor General never picked up on these allegations in any of the financial reports and audited statements. The other red haring she has is she is now implicating her own colleagues Minister Martinus Van Skalkwyk who authorized the extension on these contracts. If it is proven that he knew and did nothing he must surely admit his guilt and resign.
On the other hand this is all good and well and I would welcome a investigation into the procurement processes of the whole department as the minister has stated publicly that the department is rife with corruption going back to 1999. I would be first to go to the SAPS to lay criminal charges against those persons after seeing the evidence.
The crux of the matter is this . How can the minister be selective in her investigation and proclaim a vital role-player in this corruption saga as an innocent 3 rd party. This was before any investigation was started. What has the minister got to hide and what benefit did she receive or was promised when she had prematurely announced Sekunjalo the winner of the contract.
This all smells very fishy. The problem is where there is a smell there usually is something rotting. A fish usually rots from the head.
If i where Tina I would be very worried by the Public Protectors reports that are due to come out soon as I was promised.
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September 27, 2012 at 10:38 am
We are all awaiting this long overdue PP’s report.Why is the release being delayed?You think this smacks of something ‘fishy’ going on ?
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September 10, 2012 at 10:42 am
Your timeline is misleading and lacking significant milestones in this saga! If you aim to report on an issue in the public domain, please do so in a comprehensive manner.
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September 10, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Thank you for your comment. Apperi is not aimed at reporting on a particular ‘saga.’ We seek to gather information related to procurement and entrepreneurship in the public sector in Africa. Our ‘timeline’ is independent from internal politics. If the foreground of this blog keeps tabs on what is in the news, the background, as you may have noticed, engages with scholarly questions. We welcome all views including yours and are encouraged by ‘leading’ and ‘comprehensive’ reports from your blog. Best.
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