JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng member of the executive council for human settlements, urban planning, cooperative governance and traditional affairs Lebogang Maile said on Thursday he had directed the mayors of the West Rand and Merafong municipalities to implement the recommendations from a probe into money unlawfully invested in the failed VBS Mutual Bank.
A forensic investigation commissioned by the provincial government and conducted by Deloitte SA found that the R612 million invested by West Rand and Merafong City's R50 million were poured into VBS by senior officials outside the mandatory directives of Treasury and existing government policy prescripts.
"The reports from Deloitte recommend that appropriate disciplinary action and criminal proceedings be instituted against said officials and that steps be taken to ensure the recovery of the public funds that were unlawfully invested," Maile said in a statement.
He said he was concerned that both municipalities had not acted on the recommendations in a principled manner, adding that he was committed to ensuring that public funds were not used to enrich individuals at the expense of service delivery and improving the lives of people.
Action taken against implicated officials would go a long way towards restoring public confidence and repairing the tarnished image of the public service, he said, while also sending a very strong message to society that the government was waging a relentless fight against any form of impropriety.
Maile directed both mayors to provide him with a comprehensive response within seven days, warning that "heads must roll" in the event of their failure to act.