A projection of cyber code on a hooded man is pictured in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. Capitalizing on spying tools believed to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency, hackers staged a cyber assault with a self-spreading malware that has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries. File picture: Reuters, Kacper Pempel, Illustration
THE THEFT of more than R300 million from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) over the past 10 years has raised eyebrows after newly-elected Minister Dean Macpherson reported the findings of a recent report.
On Thursday, the country’s State Security Agency (SSA) assured South Africans that it was working towards resolving the matter following an influx of media enquiries due to Macpherson’s announcement.
The new minister’s statement comes hot on the heels of former DPWI minister Sihle Zikalala having instituted a full forensic investigation through a multidisciplinary team that also includes the SSA.
In a statement this week, the Minister in the Presidency, responsible for state security, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, indicated that the investigation was still ongoing, adding that investigating teams have been urged to work with speed to conclude their work without compromising the required thoroughness of the investigation.
“The SSA continues to provide support and advice to government departments on cyber security. The SSA is finalising a consolidated assessment on government's cyber security strengths and initiatives under way to address any weaknesses found in the system. The report once completed will be submitted to the National Security Council for further processing and direction,” said Ntshavheni.
On Wednesday, reacting to the revelations that R300m had been stolen from the department, former minister of DPWI and current Minister of Tourism Patricia De Lille denied knowledge of this and said she would be meeting with Macpherson over the matter.
De Lille indicated that she had asked Macpherson to furnish her with the details of the cyber theft amounting to more than R300m which might have happened during her term as DPWI minister for four years.
De Lille served as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from 2019 to 2023, before she was replaced by Sihle Zikalala who was appointed as minister of DPWI during a Cabinet reshuffle on March 6, 2023.
On Wednesday, Macpherson said he had decided to take the public into his confidence, in the interests of transparency, to reveal a staggering cybercrime-related matter that the department had unearthed – at least R300m had been stolen from the department in the past 10 years.
“In response to the statement by the Minister of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, I hereby wish to state that I was the minister of DPWI for just under four years, there were two other ministers at DPWI during the 10-year period referred to in the new minster’s statement.
“I will be meeting with the minister next week and I will request a copy of the report for the period relevant to my time at DPWI. During my time, I was able to recover R253 million related to leases where government was overcharged. I had an agreement with the SIU, who seconded two SIU officials to help investigate all the allegations in DPWI,” De Lille said in a statement.
As a result of the theft, the DPWI said it had acted against four officials implicated in the matter.
“We want to put a stop to this immediately because we cannot allow our department to be subjected to unchecked looting. This is money that could have been spent on our infrastructure drive to improve the lives of South Africans. The investigation will be expanded and deepened to find the masterminds and the beneficiaries of this grand theft, and I want to see them in prison,” said Macpherson.
The new minister added that on top of the four officials who have already been suspended, more than 30 laptops were seized by the investigators.