Image: Parliamentary finance cluster
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has fast become known for its independence and determination, which has enabled it to crack the whip on poorly performing government entities and recoup billions in misused public funds – despite threats, intimidation, and often aggressive push-back from government officials. In addition, the ever-increasing sophistication of criminals requires a high level of corresponding creativity and agility, involving measures such as cyber investigations, forensic accounting, and data analytics.
And the National Assembly’s (NA) Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has long been regarded as one of the better-functioning parliamentary committees, one that takes its work seriously.
Scopa’s job is to scrutinise:
- The financial statements of all executive organs of state and constitutional institutions or other public bodies when those statements are submitted to Parliament;
- any audit reports issued on those statements;
- any reports issued by the Auditor-General on the affairs of any executive organ of state, constitutional institution or other public body; and
- any other financial statements or reports referred to the committee in terms of the rules of the NA.
In the sixth Parliament under the capable leadership of Mkhuleko Hlengwa, now deputy minister of transport, Scopa paid great attention to matters involving state capture at state-owned enterprises. This was, in fact, its main agenda item, and the allegations of financial impropriety and the misuse of public funds at Eskom, Denel, South African Airways, and others came under scrutiny. One of its high-profile matters involved several meetings into the allegations of corruption made by Andre de Ruyter against Eskom executives and ANC members during a March 2023 interview in eNCA.
Now the two bodies have renewed their memorandum of understanding (MoU). The initial MoU, signed earlier this year, fell away with the dissolution of the previous government and on 27 November the two entities came together to renew their relationship.
The MoU’s primary purpose is to strengthen the relationship between the committee and the SIU in relation to investigating and reporting on matters pertaining to irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure of public funds, said Parliament in a statement marking the occasion.
“More importantly, the signing of the MoU assists in the formal referral of certain pressing matters from Scopa to the SIU. Matters referred by Scopa to the SIU for investigation or for the motivation for a proclamation include the Eskom intelligence report, National Skills Fund, and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Prestige Portfolio.”
Both parties acknowledge the importance of collaboration on aspects such as disclosure of information, reporting and mutual co-operation and assistance to ensure effective financial oversight and accountability of state institutions, said Parliament. This is effective in combating maladministration, malpractice and corruption of state resources, money, and assets.
In the current term Scopa and the SIU will focus on ensuring that state institutions act on the latter’s systemic recommendations, which are aimed at improving administrative practices and preventing the afore-mentioned incidents of maladministration, malpractice, and corruption.
