Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde. File picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - Premier Alan Winde will be engaging with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Justice Ministry, the National Treasury (NT) and the SAPS about the recent revelation that a business linked to state capture won a contract from his government.
Premier Winde said on Tuesday night that he had contacted the entities as a follow-through to actions he had promised when the issue first came up in the provincial legislature two weeks ago.
On that occasion, ANC MPLs had asked why the province was doing business with companies allegedly to be involved in crime and corruption.
The grilling from the ANC MPLs came after the Daily Maverick published a story that Royal Security, which is linked to Durban businessperson Roy Moodley, received a R282 million security contract from the province’s Infrastructure Department.
Speaking late on Tuesday, Winde said: “We cannot be in a position where government tenders are being used to launder dirty money. But simultaneously, we are a government that respects and promotes the rule of law, and that means that we all have the right to be treated as innocent until proven guilty.”
Winde also revealed that the province was being sued by one of the losing bidders in the contract that went to Royal Security.
On Wednesday, the provincial leader of the opposition (ANC), Cameron Dugmore, said the DA had failed the test by not doing due diligence from the start.
“This company should never have reached the shortlist, let alone been appointed. Also the DA washing their hands of serious allegations of corruption in the City and other municipalities makes this statement ring hollow,” Dugmore said.
GOOD MPL Peter de Villiers said Winde could not pretend to be surprised by his government awarding a contract to an entity implicated in state capture.
“The premier should explain which of the private consulting firms, attorneys firms and auditing and advisory practices, known as the enablers of state capture, his government does business with and why he hasn’t done anything about them?”
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za