The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on the Northern Cape Premier to ensure that the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Roads and Public Works, Bradley Slingers, who was caught travelling with R600,000 cash in an unregistered vehicle during working hours, is fired and that criminal charges are pursued against him, after an internal disciplinary hearing recommended that he be dismissed.
The quick action to suspend Slingers, after his arrest at a roadblock in November 2023, must not be undermined by the provincial government failing to act speedily in implementing consequence management.
Over the years, the Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, has claimed to be fighting corruption and boasted about bringing the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) to the province so it is high time that we see this translate into not just arrests, but also more convictions against government officials involved in wrongdoing.
In response to the lifestyle audits conducted on government officials, in conjunction with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) over the past year, we should by now also be witnessing a clampdown on Heads of Departments (HODs) and members of the Senior Management Service (SMS), who are concealing business interests and who are involved in conflicts of interest with the state.
The Premier’s response to the Slingers case must usher in a new wave of accountability. Moreover, an example must be made of Slingers by the Premier that will serve as a turning point in the fight against corruption in the Northern Cape.
The DA expects nothing less than the adoption of a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption from the Premier, when he delivers his SOPA later this week.
The DA will monitor Dr Saul’s anti-corruption comments closely and submit parliamentary questions to determine whether the disciplinary hearing recommendations against Slingers will be implemented.