Africa-Press – Lesotho. PARLIAMENT’S Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is set to quiz 40 civil servants over procurement rot that happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Government secretary Thabo Moleko has called the civil servants to prepare for the PAC grilling “about the queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year that ended 2020 and 2021”.
In a savingram issued on Monday, Moleko said the employees will need to explain how they handled the Covid-19-related expenditure and management of donations.
The summoned workers include the Health Director General Dr ’Nyane Letsie and Dr ’Malitaba Litabe who was the CEO for the National Covid-19 Secretariat (Nacosec).
Other prominent workers called include Dr Lucy Mapota who was the Ministry of Health’s Director of Clinical Services as well as the head of Covid-19 case management. Three other doctors, Dr Petlane, Dr Maile, and Dr Ranyali are also among those who have been called.
Other senior workers are Lesimole Moletsane, Lisebo Mahalika, Mpontšeng Pama Letsoela, Tsietsi Mosae, Mpoetsi Makau, ’Mapaseka Nkone, ’Mathabo Mareka, Tlotliso Mokoena, Likiki,Mabesa, Rabale, Neo Leutsoa, ’Marelebohile Makhethe and Namolela Rapapa.
Other workers are Rethabile Topo, ’Mamocheko Letsepe, Thabo Ntoi, Ndumo, Sehlomeng Makhabane, Thethiwe Mashinini, Ribson Ribson, Mothae, Mapole Mochochoko, Puleng Letsoela, Qhobela and Selloane.
The PAC clerk Thabo Matela told thepost last night that “the committee will soon question the workers on the Covid-19 corruption”. “The date is not yet set, but preparations are underway,” Matela said.
After Covid-19 was declared as an emergency in 2020, the cabinet instructed that Public Procurement Amendment Regulation 8, of 2018, should be complied with.
The government also instructed that there should be single sourcing on requirements of goods and services to respond to the pandemic as an emergency. This would remain valid until all activities relating to the Covid-19 procurement were completed.
The overall budget allocation of M698 085 352.22 was set aside and approved by the Cabinet to respond to the pandemic. Distribution of the budget was as follows:
Health sector was allocated M394.9 million, Border Management M3.9 million, Security Sector M46.5 million, Logistics Support M112.7 million, Public Information M3.9 million, coordination of the National Emergency Command Centre (which was replaced by Nacosec)’s District Emergency Operations Centres (DEOCs) were allocated M19.7 million.
The Disaster Management Authority (DMA) opened a specialised account named Covid-19 Account with the First National Bank. There were six warrants released by the Ministry of Finance to this account in different dates, April 2, 2020 – M40 million, July 28, 2020 – M100 million, November 3, 2020 – M95 million, December 4, 2020 – M90 million, December 22, 2020 – M78 514 064, and February 26, 2021 –
M100 million. The total warrant released for the financial year was M503.5 million and the closing balance at the end of the financial year was M31.5 million.
The total expenditure, including bank charges, at the end of the financial year (2020/2021) was M471.9 million. These figures are from an internal audit that was submitted to the government.
The auditors said even though the work was performed jointly, the Ministry of Health was working on payments that were initiated by itself for health-related activities while the DMA on the other hand, processed those payments that were initiated under the Prime Minister’s Office, under which it falls.
Survey results published last year by the Afrobarometer found that many Basotho said they believed that “a little” (4%), “some” (12%), or “a lot” (64%) of the resources intended for the Covid-19 response were lost to corruption.
It found that only seven percent think that none of these resources were embezzled. Asked about corruption among Nacosec officials, 37 % of the survey respondents said that “most” or “all” were corrupt, and 33% said that “some” were involved in corruption. Only 10% thought that the Nacosec was free of corruption.
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