NW Premier Mokgoro should make the Covid-19 procurement report public

7 October 2020

Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Sesotho by DA North West Spokesperson on Premier’s Office, Freddy Sonakile. 

The North West Provincial Covid-19 procurement report presented during a media briefing by Premier Job Mokgoro in August, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Provincial Coronavirus Command Council, attracted much attention.

The report deals with the procurement of Covid-19 related items and expenditure incurred during the lockdown period by provincial government departments.

The report stated that the office of the Provincial Internal Audit will audit all Covid related procurement, including that of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and that the audit findings would be made available before 31 August 2020.

Today, more than a month later, the outcome of this investigation is still not available to the public.

The Premier further undertook to release a special Covid expenditure report compiled by the Auditor-General, which was to be concluded by end of September 2020.

This too, has never transpired.

As the trusted diary keeper for the Premier, who seems to be particularly forgetful lately, the DA is hereby reminding him of the two reports that are of public interest.

The Premier should take the province into his confidence and immediately table the reports in the Provincial Legislature.

The days of sleeping on the job and making empty promises as a guise to fight corruption, are long gone.  The DA will remain vigilant in ensuring that the ANC Government desists from bamboozling the public any further.

Issued by Freddy Sonakile, DA North West Spokesperson on Premier's Office, 7 October 2020