AfriForum lays charges after North West department misappropriates R283 million

AfriForum today laid criminal charges against Dr. Andrew Thabo Lekalakala, Head of the North West’s Department of Health as part of its “Genoeg is Genoeg” (enough is enough) campaign that was launched on Monday, 18 April. This comes after the organisation studied the Department’s annual report and found that Lekalakala was possibly guilty of an offence in terms of the Article 86(1) of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999.

The Annual Report of the Province’s Department of Health indicates that the Department incurred unauthorised expenses of R263 million, and fruitless and wasteful expenses of

R20 million in the 2014/2015 financial year.

“Unauthorised expenses constitute expenses that Departments incurred contrary to the approved budget. Fruitless and wasteful expenses constitute expenses made in vain but which could have been prevented if reasonable precaution had been taken. These excessive expenses could have been prevented if Lekalakala fulfilled his duties,” said Monique Taute, AfriForum’s National Campaign Coordinator.

The charge against Lekalakala is based on alleged financial misappropriation in terms of the above-mentioned Act. The Head of Department is the officer responsible for preventing irregular, fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenses and for holding guilty parties accountable.

“Lekalakala let taxpayers down by failing to fulfil his duties,” Taute said.

“It is time that taxpayers put pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority to make examples of heads of department who do not fulfil their duties as prescribed by the Act. They are some of the biggest perpetrators in the misappropriation of taxpayers’ money. It is a national crisis that must be resolved urgently.”

AfriForum will visit eight provinces in the next two weeks, during which criminal charges will be laid against 13 provincial heads of department.

AfriForum wants to encourage the public to put the necessary pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority by sending an SMS with their name to 45352 (R1) or by signing the charges on AfriForum’s web site at www.afriforum.co.za.