Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson welcomes eThekwini Municipality’s corrective action following EPWP irregularities, with recovery processes underway for R6.8 million in losses and measures introduced to strengthen accountability.
A report submitted by eThekwini Municipality has identified R6.864 million in confirmed losses linked to irregularities in its Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), with recovery processes underway after Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson halted further payments to the municipality.
Macpherson instructed in April that no further EPWP payments be made to eThekwini until serious irregularities identified by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) were addressed.
The report found irregularities including payments for services not rendered, payments to deceased beneficiaries, payments to ineligible beneficiaries, and instances where individuals allegedly received EPWP payments while employed by other government institutions.
The municipality’s response outlined corrective measures, including investigations by the City Integrity and Investigations Directorate, disciplinary action against implicated officials, the removal of deceased and ineligible beneficiaries from the programme, and the opening or reopening of criminal cases with the South African Police Service.
