Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille requests Auditor General of South Africa to audit Beitbridge Border Fence procurement process

21 April 2020

Today, 20 April 2020, I have written to the Auditor General of South Africa, Kimi Makwetu to request that his office conduct an urgent, independent audit into the emergency procurement and implementation process of the 40km Beitbridge border fence project between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

As part of the declaration of a National State of Disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 15 March 2020, the President outlined a number of emergency measures to be implemented to mitigate the risk of the COVID 19 virus.

As a result, the Department of Defence and Veterans, whose mandate it is to secure South Africa’s borders, then requested that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) as a matter of urgency to repair and replace a 40km section of the Beitbridge Border Post Fence, which was identified as the hotspot.

In the spirit of transparency and accountability, I am asking the Auditor General to immediately commence with an external audit of the process followed by the DPWI in terms of the 40km Beitbridge Border Fence Project.

Issued by Zara Nicholson, Media Liaison Officer to Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure: Patricia de Lille, 21 April 2020