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By Ayanda Mdluli 
3h ago
Johannesburg – A draft forensic audit report commissioned by SA’s Universal Service Access Agency (Usaasa) in 2011 yielded adverse results against several employees of the organization, including the businessman and now husband of Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni. Abrahams, Thato Abrahams, while employed by the organization.
The forensic report, “Investigation into Alleged Irregularities and Mismanagement”, regarding various HR, procurement and governance issues during the period from April 1, 2009 to September 28, 2011 in Usaasa, was conducted by Forensic Investigation Risk & Recovery Management (Pty) Limited and a whistleblower claims it has been removed from the public record.
It is unclear if this was deliberately done by Ndabeni-Abrahams while he was deputy minister of his current portfolio and was allegedly in a relationship with one of the defendants in the report at the time.
Independent Media has seen the report where page three of the index shows that Abrahams had been involved in a human resources wrongdoing at Usaasa.
The actual pages 33-93 detailing the report’s findings and also implicating Abrahams at Usaasa appear to have been deleted.
Independent Media contacted the audit firm that produced the report. A company spokesperson, Perun Naidoo, said his company received instructions from Usaasa management to commission the investigation. The firm did not elaborate on the findings.
“Obviously, we would need your consent to disclose any information. Under the circumstances, we regret that we cannot access your request without a directive from Usaasa. “
However, a source, who asked to remain anonymous and was close to the events at the time, alleges that Abrahams had committed a robbery in which some 20 iPads and other electronic devices were taken from the Usaasa headquarters.
“The forensic report was turned over to the then deputy minister (Ndabeni-Abrahams) and was hidden from the public record while Thato was an employee of Usaasa’s communications and marketing department,” the source said.
Another Usaasa finance department executive at the time, who also asked not to be named, revealed that when he received the report from the auditing firm and senior management, the pages had already been removed.
“By the time the report reached my department, the pages involving Abrahams and other colleagues had already been removed,” he said.
The report indicates that around September 2011, the Usaasa board of directors received information related to allegations of substantial violations of Usaasa’s supply chain management processes and procedures, human resources processes, governance processes and non-compliance with the delegations of authority duly approved agency.
According to the report, the board made the decision to launch a forensic investigation into the allegations.
“It was then that a task force, composed of certain members of the board and officials from the Department of Communications, was appointed to determine the terms of reference for the investigation and designate a service provider to conduct the investigation.”
Among its main findings is that the suspension and disciplinary proceedings that had been initiated against those involved in irregularities had left Usaasa dysfunctional, where irregular and unauthorized expenses had exceeded 80 million rand.
“It therefore seems imperative that appropriate disciplinary, civil and criminal actions be taken promptly for Usaasa to be successful in fulfilling its mandate,” he said.
The forensic firm subsequently implicated 21 employees in wrongdoing, including Abrahams.
Commenting on the investigation, Abrahams claimed to have no knowledge of the investigation or the report.
As for the iPads, he claims that he took new iPads home to reconfigure them to connect to the Usaasa intranet and, once done, returned them to Usaasa and handed them over to the intended users.
“I joined Usaasa in 2010, before meeting my wife. To avoid any perceived conflict of interest issues, when my wife was appointed minister, I resigned, ”he said.
Ndabeni-Abrahams spokesman Mish Molakeng said the minister denied receiving such a report.
Special Investigation Unit
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