No action taken against officials who spent R2m on guardhouse and fence

Scopa's findings exposed procurement chaos

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

Mpumalanga Department of Education head Lucy Moyane and officials implicated in the dubious spending of more than R2-million on a security guardhouse are yet to face the music despite a scathing report recommending disciplinary measures against them for misleading the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa).

The watchdog found that Moyane signed off on a dubious report presented to lawmakers. The report appeared to mask financial mismanagement.

Under her watch, the department blew R1,192,078 on a guardhouse and another R1-million on fencing.

The expensive guardhouse at the centre of the scandal, is a modest, single-room structure with plastered walls, a red-slanted roof and a single window, bearing more resemblance to a backyard storage shed than a security facility.

Despite this shameful display of waste of taxpayer's money, those responsible for signing off on its inflated costs remain untouched.

Scopa's findings, released in November 2024, exposed procurement chaos, project deviations and blatant financial recklessness.

The scandal erupted after the department, with Moyane at the helm, approved the overpriced renovation of the guardhouse at the Ehlanzeni district offices in KaNyamazane, near Mbombela.