Top officials face Mvezo cash probe

Documents, laptops and cellphones belonging to seven senior officials involved in building the Mvezo and Gqunu bridges have been seized.

They were confiscated by a security unit in the department of rural development and land reform (DRDLR) investigating the building of the bridges at a combined cost of R200-million.

The officials, including two directors, are being probed for how the money for the projects was spent.

The Inkosi Dalibhunga Nelson Mandela Legacy bridge in Mvezo and a 10km paved road cost R127-million while the Gqunu bridge in Qumbu and a 10km paved road is believed to have cost the department more than R50-million.

Questions are being asked about the viability of the Legacy bridge as it is used by so few vehicles and pedestrians that grass is already growing between bricks in places.

The seven officials are from the department’s finance, supply chain management, disaster management and infrastructure directorates.

The probe comes in the wake of the Daily Dispatch’s exposure of how millions of rands were spent on the paved road from the N2 to Mvezo, Chief Mandla Mandela’s Great Place.

The security management services unit within the DRDLR, headed by a former head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in the Eastern Cape, Dumisani Lupungela, is handling the investigation. The unit swooped on the officials’ offices in Ocean Terrace, Quigney last week.

One director was escorted out of the building, leaving behind her laptop, cellphone and work documents.

Her office was locked and she was told not to visit the premises until the investigations were completed.

The Dispatch has been reliably told that the probe involves, among other things, the pricing of the tenders and how they were awarded.

It is also alleged that proper procurement procedures when the tenders were awarded were not followed.

A senior source in the department said the security unit members had arrived at their offices unexpectedly.

“Security personnel arrived unannounced and forced the finance and supply chain director out of her office before it was locked.

“This happened in an embarrassing way as she was accompanied out of the office complex to the streets and was warned not to return to the department,” said the source.

The source said other officials were removed from a provincial management meeting late last week.

“Their work files were taken and others had their cellphones removed from them,” said the source.

“A total of seven senior officials are being investigated and the two main probes are the Mvezo and Gqunu bridges, which cost the department close to R200-million,” said the source.

A second source, familiar with the investigations, said the Eastern Cape department of public works had provided millions of rands towards building the roads.

“We had to buy machines through the rural enterprise and industrial development unit to make the paving bricks for the Mvezo road.

“Where’s that machine now,” asked the source.

He said most of the labour was sourced from local youth.

A recent Dispatch visit to the Inkosi Dalibhunga Nelson Mandela Legacy, which crosses the Mbashe River not far from the Mvezo Great Place, revealed little foot or vehicle traffic.

Grass was seen growing along the pedestrian walk in places. Over a two-hour period, only one person was seen crossing the bridge on foot.

DRDLR had not responded to

e-mailed questions sent by the Dispatch at the time of writing yesterday.

The Eastern Cape department of public works confirmed that it had contributed more than R100-million towards the project.

“R103-million was transferred to the DRDLR by the department as portion. DRDLR  was responsible for the bridge cost and the consulting fees for the project,” said spokesman Mphumzi Zuzile. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za / msindisif@dispatch.co.za