Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola will be looking closely into monies owed by government departments and municipalities to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), he said on Thursday, as he unveiled the Northern Cape SIU office, in Kimberley.

The Northern Cape is the only province in South Africa without SIU presence and is serviced by the Free State, North West and Western Cape provincial offices.

The new Northern Cape provincial office forms part of the SIU strategy which focuses on implementing results-driven business process improvements.

The strategy places emphasis on the positive impact of SIU work, improving investigation turnaround times, reaching expected legal outcomes and ensuring the implementation of SIU outcomes and recommendations.

Lamola said when recovered, the monies owed by departments and municipalities to the SIU would enable full capacitation of the unit.

Local government currently owes the SIU R120 544 676, which amounts to 24% of the total amount owed to the SIU.

Provincial government owes R98 629 052, or 19%, of the total amount owed.

National government owes R134 582 946, or 26%, of the total amount owed.

Public entities owe R156 926 000, or 31%, of the total amount owed to the SIU.

“We cannot continue as normal where an important institution like this needs more forensic investigators and accountants to ensure that we have the skills to match those with deft fingers in the State.  Therefore, ensuring that the more than R510 000 000 which is owed to the SIU by departments and municipalities is recovered will enable full capacitation of the SIU,” he stated.

Lamola noted that the rate of reporting corruption and maladministration to the SIU was low in the Northern Cape, compared with other provinces.

“This is understandable taking into consideration that the SIU did not have offices here. However, this should be a thing of the past. I appeal to members of the community to fully utilize these offices and report all allegations of corruption,” he urged.

In capacitating the country’s law enforcement agencies, Lamola said government was creating an enabling environment to ensure that enforcement agencies leverage technology to deter and prevent corruption.

“We should demonstrate our commitment to fight and defeat corruption because, no doubt, it has had a disproportionate impact on South Africans, moreover the poor.  We cannot afford to tolerate corruption; it must be tackled where it rears its ugly head.  If we continue to endure corruption, we do so at the expense of our democracy and the human rights of our citizens.  If we choose the path of impunity, we will be complicit in overseeing an administration that is at the centre of inhumane living conditions,” he said.