Ramaphosa widens SIU probe into multimillion-rand Eastern Cape water project | News24
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed an amended proclamation widening the Special Investigating Unit’s probe into the Tsomo River Abstraction and Water Treatment Works project in the Eastern Cape.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed an amended proclamation widening the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) probe into a multimillion-rand Eastern Cape water project he visited three years ago.
On 11 August 2023, Ramaphosa visited the Tsomo River Abstraction and Water Treatment Works project before addressing an imbizo in the nearby marquee.
The multimillion-rand project was constructed to provide thousands of households in the Chris Hani and Amathole district municipalities with clean water.
At the time, the Presidency described the water treatment plant as a “cross-boundary water supply project abstracting water from the Tsomo River, serving the towns and rural settlements in two district municipalities”.
But the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) reportedly flagged allegations of procurement irregularities in the project.
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In November 2024, Ramaphosa authorised the SIU to probe allegations of procurement irregularities in the project.
Last week, Ramaphosa amended the proclamation to cover the period between January 2016 and August 2026.
The amendment will probe the procurement of goods, works or services for the project, the SIU said.
According to the SIU’s presentation to the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General in May this year, the probe into the project was “initiated because of the AGSA noting significant delays in the execution of river abstraction works and water treatment works project resulting in the project scope increasing by 30 times with R19 953 993 in additional costs”.
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Contacted for comment on Thursday, Chris Hani District Municipality– the water service authority in Tsomo – said it was not yet aware of the amended proclamation.
“The municipality has not received the proclamation and is not aware of the investigation. However, the municipality commits to full cooperation with processes relating to any investigation as we believe in good governance,” said municipal spokesperson Nangamso Ngceke.
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