GFIS’ record in the fight against fraud and corruption speaks for itself
21 January 2019
The article that featured in this morning’s The Star, entitled “Elite Unit takes City for R100m”, is disappointing to say the least.
Considering the companies, individuals, 4 former MMCs, one former Executive Mayor and 2 National Cabinet members, it should not be difficult for The Star to imagine that this unit would have garnered detractors who are eager to protect their own interest.
In the City of Johannesburg, these individuals and the ANC have formed a coalition of the corrupt which has looted the City with impunity and has sought to challenge the establishment of the forensic unit, under the leadership of General Shadrack Sibiya.
This unit now stands with over 4000 cases for investigation, totalling a staggering R24 billion. Arrests now exceed 800 and the unit has recovered more than R1.2 billion of public money through its involvement in Operation Buya Mthetho.
The article attempts to portray the money spent on these investigations, which they alleged exceeds R100 million over two and a half years, as some kind of scandal.
It must be said that the multi-party government is proud of its achievements in the fight against fraud and corruption. When it entered office in Johannesburg, it did so with a public mandate to stop the rampant levels of looting in the City.
We inherited a budget, passed by the ANC, only weeks before they were voted out and had to operate under this budget for the first financial year. It should come as no surprise that the ANC had invested nothing to combat fraud and corruption.
Indeed, the multi-party government had to rely on external forensic companies to handle the multitude of cases that came forward.
From the February 2017 adjustments budget, funds were allocated to increase internal investigation capacity.
The unit has subsequently been capacitated to the point that it handles the investigation of the vast majority of cases with expert investigators brought in from the both the public and private sectors. External forensic companies are now utilised only in cases that require external or specialised forensic services to their unique nature.
Of fascination is the fact that The Star refers to “bailouts” within their article. It was pointed out in the City’s replies that adjustments to the budget take place at the mid-year point of any government institution.
Budgets are reduced or added to on the basis of performance, expenditure levels and operational alignment to political priorities set by the residents of the City.
The fact that more money had to be allocated to GFIS is scandalous, not in the way misrepresented by The Star, but because of what it demonstrates to be the magnitude of looting that took place in Johannesburg.
Of even greater curiosity is The Star’s, reliance upon former MMC Rabelani Dagada as a source in this article. Firstly, it was The Star, and the very same journalist in question, who exposed the former MMC for his wrong doing which ultimately led to his dismissal as an MMC and termination as a Councillor. How The Star suddenly finds him to be a credible source, without an agenda, is beyond all understanding.
The multi-party government in the City of Johannesburg stands alone in its achievements in the fight against fraud and corruption. Our GFIS unit is the only version of its kind in local government and is delivering upon the mandate of the residents of our City.
For a newspaper, with a proud tradition of holding government to account for exactly the kind of criminality that GFIS combats, to tarnish this work of the unit is disappointing. For it to base this kind of tarnishing on sources who form part of the coalition of the corrupt, who operate with an agenda against our efforts, is just shoddy journalism.
Issued by Kutlwano Olifant, Stakeholder Manager, City of Johannesburg, 21 January 2019
