Zuma urges state departments to pay back the money
President Jacob Zuma has called on government departments and entities that owe the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to pay their debts.
President Zuma met with the head of the SIU, Andy Mothibi, in Pretoria yesterday. It was their first meeting since Mothibi was appointed as head of the SIU last year.
In a statement, the Presidency says during the meeting it emerged that the SIU is owed almost R390 million by state institutions.
The Presidency says President Zuma wants the institutions to make payments as soon as possible, to enable the SIU to continue functioning optimally.
"The President said it was unacceptable that the institutions would withhold much-needed funding to the SIU and that they should pay up without delay."
"The SIU is currently undertaking many investigations based on proclamations signed by the President. In particular, between 2010 and 2016, a total number of 69 SIU proclamations were signed, with 10 Proclamations signed in the 2016/2017 financial alone, to investigate a number of allegations of corruption," the Presidency says.
The SIU’s mandate is to recover and prevent financial losses to the state caused by acts of corruption, fraud and maladministration. The SIU also assists departments with systemic improvements that improve service delivery.