Cirrus SR22
30th Apr 2008, 04:32
S A Weather Services (SAWS) Chief Financial Officer, Hanlie Grobler, has conceded in an e-mail to a SAWS client that she is “appallingly incompetent and inefficient”.
This concession, which is rare for a public official, comes after talk of a forensic audit into SAWS relating to contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). According to a reliable source, SAWS accounts are “in a shambles.”
SAWS is a statutory body falling under Department of Environmental Affairs. The object of the PFMA is to secure accountability, transparency and sound management principles.
What is not widely known is that the PFMA sets out strict responsibilities on accounting officers such as Grobler. Section 86 of the PFMA criminalises the failure of officials such as Grobler to comply with the Act and provides for their imprisonment if convicted.
Cirrus SR22
1st Jul 2008, 17:20
By John Yeld
South African Weather Service Chief Executive Dr Linda Makuleni racked up a cellphone bill of R19 400 in one month, while the total cost of her calls from April 1 2007 to March 31 2008 was R65 791 an average of R5 482 a month.
These costs are noted in a forensic report by independent auditing firm Pricewaterhouse-Coopers (PWC), appointed by the weather services board to
investigate allegations of gross misconduct and wasteful, irregular and fruitless expenditure.
The allegations were made by staff members who described themselves only as concerned employees, withholding their identities for fear of intimidation.
One of their allegations was that Makuleni abused her service cellphone contract by making private calls.
But in their 73-page report the auditors cleared Makuleni of this claim, noting that by her own admission she had used her service cellphone for legitimate private purposes while on business trips and had also used her private phone for business.
This practice makes it impossible to differentiate between costs. There is no system of control over private cellphone calls by Dr Makuleni. This creates room for abuse.
The auditors noted that a large portion of Makuleni's cellphone costs had been incurred during periods overseas. In terms of the services phone policy, staff who are travelling are allowed to make one call a day of up to five minutes to their families.
In November 2007, Makuleni visited Britain, Switzerland and China and took six days sick leave.
The auditors said her monthly cellphone allowance of R1 100 she also has a landline allowance of R50 was unreasonable and should be reassessed.
Makuleni was also cleared of an allegation that the service had paid irregularly for her flight to East London in June 2007 when she gave a housewarming party at her home there.
The auditors found she had been on legitimate business and had extended her stay over the weekend to host the party.
Two senior managers Siphokazi Bokwe (human resources) and Thabiso Dekeda (employee relations) were found to have irregularly used hired cars while attending their boss's party.
Although Bokwe later repaid R1 428 and Dekeda R814 for the use of these cars, the auditors rejected their explanations that this was because the invoices had been submitted late allegedly only on March 26 2008.
They found the payments had been made only after an investigation by the service's auditors had been initiated and the chief financial officer, Hanli Grobler, had made inquiries.
Grobler and acquisitions and travel supervisor Carien Booijse were criticised by the auditors. The auditors recommended that corrective action be considered against Dekeda and Bokwe.
The auditors also investigated an allegation that a company, Face Languta, had been paid R790 000 for a staff induction programme that had not taken place.
They found that the company had delivered some work, but had been irregularly overpaid by R97 125. This was the subject of litigation, they noted.
The auditors also refuted an allegation that law firm Daly Inc had been appointed to provide legal services to the weather service at an annual fee of R1-million, without proper tender procedures being followed and while one of the partners of the law firm was related to a member of the board that had approved the contract.
Although the then-board chairwoman, Sizeka Rensburg, had a business relationship with a Mr Maqubela, a partner in the law firm, by virtue of being a director of a third company, MAQ Financial Services, this was external to the weather service, the auditors found.
They reported that many of the 17 allegations were
unfounded and or based on incorrect information, but said there was a need for tighter control in some areas.
This article was originally published on page 4 of The Cape Argus on July 01, 2008.