Premier concerned over companies allegedly involved in corruption

Media Release: Statement by Premier Alan Winde on concerns of doing business with companies allegedly involved in crime and corruption

Following on issues raised in the public and the provincial legislature two weeks ago on the Western Cape Government (WCG) doing business with companies alleged to be involved in crime and corruption I have today taken further steps.

This matter is of great concern to me and my government. We cannot be in a position where government tenders are being used to launder dirty money, but simultaneously we are a government that respects and promotes the rule of law, and that means that we all have the right to be treated as innocent until proven guilty. However, our criminal justice system is failing us by not prosecuting glaring cases of alleged corruption, particularly emanating from the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

Further to this, I have been informed that one of the losing bidders in a recent tender issued by the WCG Department of Infrastructure will be challenging the decision in court. I welcome this process and the scrutiny of our supply chain management processes. If any material irregularity or procedural error is confirmed or discovered in the process of preparing for the court proceedings, or the court process itself, we will ensure that the rule of law is enforced and the procurement process regularised, as is our constitutional obligation.

I have today met with members of our administration to finalise engagement and correspondence with the:

• National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)
• The Ministry of Justice
• National Treasury (NT)
• South African Police Services (SAPS)

Our purpose in writing and engaging particularly criminal and judicial entities is to highlight the significant risk that governments (national, provincial, and local) and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) across South Africa face due to the paralysis in the criminal justice system. We are asking that they dramatically accelerate and capacitate the successful prosecution of criminal cases, particularly in matters that have arisen from and been flagged in the State Capture Commission report.

The danger we face not only here in the Western Cape but across South Africa is that if we do not urgently intervene, state capture and the tentacles of organised crime will reach deeper into government, and by extension continue to rob our country of meaningful economic growth and job creation. We as the WCG must draw a line. Decisive action must be taken to root out entities and individuals implicated in corruption and stop them from infiltrating law-abiding companies which want to work with the provincial government in a transparent manner.