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The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) request for the 177 forensic reports to be made public through the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) has been denied by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

See the letter from Premier Lesufi here.

Premier Lesufi indicated that he had made all the forensic reports public, and if this was the case, there should be no problem in giving us those reports. He has now backtracked on his earlier utterances.

During the State of the Province Address (SOPA), Premier Lesufi indicated that lifestyle audits were complete, and now he is indicating that lifestyle audits must still be conducted.

The DA is not surprised by the refusal of the Premier to give us all the forensic reports; this is a clear indication that corrupt officials will continue to be shielded under the current administration. However, we suspect that there is more that the Premier is hiding.

We are appealing this decision by the Premier to refuse us access to the forensic reports. We will also be seeking legal opinion on the reasons given for the request to be turned down. Should our appeal not be successful, we will approach the Information Regulator for intervention. The DA will not rest until all 177 forensic reports are made public and the recommendations are implemented.

Issued by Solly Msimanga MPL - Leader of the Official Opposition- Gauteng