General Sibiya vows to intensify war against graft in Joburg

06 July 2017

 

General Shadrack Sibiya, Commissioner of the City of Joburg’s Group Forensics and Investigation Services, has vowed to step up his unit’s work to eliminate fraud and corruption within the City and its entities.

 

General Sibiya, the former Gauteng head of crime-busting unit the Hawks, was appointed to the position in November last year by Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba, who had, shortly after assuming office following the August 3 local government elections, declared corruption as public enemy No 1.

Since his appointment, General Sibiya has cracked a number of corruption-related cases in the City, resulting in the arrest, resignation and/or prosecution of several officials.

Speaking on the first day of the Group Forensics and Investigations Services’ three-day breakaway session in Centurion on Wednesday July 5 to plan how to accelerate efforts to root out graft in the City, General Sibiya said crime and corruption remained his unit’s No 1 enemy.

He said it was important to have a clear strategy on how to remove criminals from the system and recover assets the City lost through corrupt activities. He said since his appointment there had been a major impact on the fight against corruption.

“We have made an impact and people now know who we are. They now know that if you engage in corruption in the City, you will be arrested,” he said.

General Sibiya told his team of investigators that there was no room for complacency and emphasised that there was “too much work to be done”.

In his address, City Manager Dr Ndivhoniswani Lukhwareni told members of the investigations unit that it was important to clearly define its role and where it fitted in the structure of the City and its various departments.

He said the unit and its members must come up with answers and a plan on how and when to use consultants. He said it was important that the role of consultants was clearly defined and managed.

Speaking at the same session, the City’s Group Audit Committee chairperson Zodwa Manase said corruption remained a challenge across all sectors of society and the City of Johannesburg was no exception. She said all cases of corruption must be investigated without fear or favour.

Manase said General Sibiya and his unit must expect to be pilloried and their integrity questioned as they continued to target those behind crime and corruption. “The use of resources in pursuing cases must be clear from the beginning and it should not be left to speculation on what is being investigated and what outcomes are expected.”

Strategic Management Services Director Lizzie Ramogale told delegates the City and taxpayers looked up to the unit to render “a good and quality service”. She said through the work of the unit, the City “will foster integrity to our work and give hope to those we serve”.