Nokukhanya Mntambo7 November 2024 | 13:27

SIU raids troubled North West municipality amid maladministration claims

The SIU is currently investigating allegations of maladministration linked to the procurement of goods and services for the construction of a flood line canal next to the N12 provincial road.

SIU raids troubled North West municipality amid maladministration claims

The SIU raided the premises of the JB Marks Municipality in the North West on 7 November 2024 following allegations of flouting procurement processes. Picture: @RSASIU/X

JOHANNESBURG - The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has swooped in on the troubled JB Marks Local Municipality in the North West amid allegations of flouting procurement processes.

The SIU is currently investigating allegations of maladministration linked to the procurement of goods and services for the construction of a flood line canal next to the N12 provincial road.

SIU spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, said the search and seizure operation was a last-ditch attempt to access documents needed for their probe into the matter.

The SIU said it approached the Potchefstroom Magistrates Court for a warrant to search the premises of the JB Marks Municipality after officials ignored requests to access documents.

The warrant was granted on Wednesday, giving the corruption watchdog the green light to seize possible evidence.

During the raid, Kganyago said that law enforcement collected documents and devices essential for auditing and compliance concerning successful tenders awarded from January 2015 to October 2024.

"The seized materials include company registration documents, payment records (invoices, purchase orders, remittance advice), electronic devices, including laptops, mobile devices, and external storage media used by relevant officials and employees, any associated electronic data, including emails and cloud storage information linked to specific personnel."

Earlier this year, an Auditor-General report flagged almost R6 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure at the municipality for the 2022/23 financial year.