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Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane received a complaint from the African Transformation Movement (ATM) to investigate alleged irregularities in administration and procurement regarding the R37 million Beitbridge border fence.
The fence was erected following a request from the Department of Defense and Veterans to repair and replace a 40 km section of the fence amid the closure of SA’s borders and ports.
The nearly 40 km has come under fire after recent photos showed they had been destroyed and allegedly stolen.
Fingers immediately pointed to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, who in turn asked South African auditor general Kimi Makwetu to investigate the project.
“In order to be more secure and fully supervised, and to address public concerns, I respectfully request your good office to immediately begin an external audit of the 40km Beitbridge Border Fence Project. I would appreciate if the external audit could cover all aspects of the project process, ”De Lille said in a statement.
The district attorney was highly critical of the De Lille department, saying that the “laundry line” it had erected exposed its “incompetence.”
Once known as the “Fire Serpent” due to the 2,800 volts that those unlucky were going through to come in contact with it, the original border fence was substantial, solid, and nearly impenetrable.
“But due to lack of maintenance and lackluster border control by SANDF over the years, it had become as porous as a sieve. This has happened, despite the fact that there is a double fence 3 meters high on each side of the electric fence that marked the border between the two countries.
“The arrival of Covid-19 was supposed to address and change all of that. The announcement by the Department of Public Works (DPWI) and the Minister of Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, that repairs totaling R37 million would be made 40 kilometers from the border fence, should have signaled a new era for approaching our border almost non-existent. It would have ensured that miles of stolen fences for animal kraals around the Beitbridge border area had been replaced and restored, ”the party said.
The prosecutor asked De Lille questions about the contractor’s appointment and the fence’s specifications.
Meanwhile, the SANDF has been deployed to increase security measures.
Also read: PHOTOS: near the SA-Zim border of R37 million destroyed, the army deployed to patrol
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