Corruption Watch has been granted permission to make written submissions to an enquiry initiated by the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to further investigate a number of allegations of illegality and complaints about the Community Work Programme (CWP).

The CWP is under the spotlight following Corruption Watch’s exposé into the irregular awarding of the R30-million Mvula Trust tender.

“We welcome the enquiry, particularly into the award of the contract to Mvula Trust, given Corruption Watch’s findings of impropriety in both the award and management of the contract, and the consequent deleterious effects on community workers,” said the organisation’s executive director David Lewis.

Corruption Watch today submitted detailed written findings of its own investigation to the enquiry, which will report to the Minister of Cogta on 15 June 2013.

The Corruption Watch investigation, sparked by a tip-off from an anonymous whistleblower, revealed that Mvula Trust subcontracted a large portion of the awarded contract, with Cogta failing to sufficiently probe the relationship between the Trust and the subcontracted entity. It also revealed a gross conflict of interest on the part of an Mvula trustee.

Corruption Watch calls for swift action by Cogta to ensure that those who acted unlawfully are held to account. It also calls for urgent interim measures to be put in place to salvage the Community Work Programme.

For a PDF version of this release, click here.

For more information:

David Lewis – 082 576 3748

Excerpt

Corruption Watch has been granted permission to make written submissions to an enquiry initiated by the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs to further investigate a number of allegations of illegality and complaints about the Community Work Programme.