Dr Zweli Mkhize’s name comes up in another SIU investigation over R114 million tender – report
Former health minister Zweli Mkhize’s name has surfaced in another Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation – this time in connection with a tender that ballooned from R3.5 million to R114 million.
News24 reports that a contract awarded by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial treasury to Universal Security Services (USS) in 2007 was irregular.
The SIU investigation was completed in February 2021.
Mkhize was KZN’s Finance and Economic Development MEC at the time.
USS was awarded the tender to provide forensic risk services for a project called Operation Unembeza.
An affidavit by a SIU investigator stated that KZN treasury’s former head Sipho Shabalala wrote a letter to Mkhize motivating for Operation Unembeza to be rolled out to all provincial government departments.
It is not clear if Mkhize replied to Shabalala’s letter.
Project Unembeza was, however, rolled out to all provincial government departments shortly afterward, with the cost of the project jumping from R3.5 million to R114 million.
“The appointment of USS was further extended when a letter was written to the MEC Dr Z L Mkhize, Minister of finance and economic development, on 8 February 2008 by Mr Shabalala. This letter motivated Project Unembeza to be rolled out to all provincial departments and was allocated other budgets for the next few years,” the investigator’s affidavit said.
The report further alleges that the SIU found the contract was flawed and had been awarded irregularly.
The SIU said papers will be filed with the Special Tribunal to have the contract declared unlawful and invalid and then set aside.
In other news – Former Uzalo actor Siyabonga Shibe (Qhabanga) fumes over drug abuse accusations
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But Siyabonga has denied the claims. “These accusations are pissing me off. I’ve never used drugs in my life. In fact, I always warn the youth not to engage in drugs,” he said. Learn More
