Parliament’s inquiry into the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has hit a new snag after MPs could not find former CEO Collins Letsoalo to serve a subpoena, reports Cape {town} Etc.
SCOPA Chair Songezo Zibi told Newsday reporters the committee’s attempts to contact him were unsuccessful and the address on file was an empty, overgrown house.
According to Parliament, Letsoalo must appear to explain alleged governance failures at the RAF, which collects about R48 billion a year in fuel levies.
Newsday asserts that to date, the RAF has spent as much as R100 million on disciplinary cases over the past five years. They have also had employees suspended for up to four years without being charged.
Parliament voted to subpoena him in October. If he does not attend, SCOPA will refer the matter for criminal prosecution for defying a summons.
The inquiry has uncovered worrying decisions taken without clear board approval, including a major accounting change affecting half a million claimants and almost R1 billion worth of outsourced procurement.
MPs say invoices went unchecked and suppliers sometimes had links to insiders.
Zibi summed up the findings in a plain way, saying, ‘Dysfunction is the right way to describe it.’ He said Parliament will protect witnesses and keep the hearings going. The probe has already led to precautionary suspensions of senior RAF officials while investigations continue.
For people waiting on claims, the inquiry aims to restore oversight and speed up payments. Officials and auditors will present more evidence in SCOPA’s continuing hearings this week.
Compiled by Angelica Rhoda
First published on Cape {town} etc
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