Greater Kokstad vows cooperation as SIU expands probe into IT procurement

The Greater Kokstad Local Municipality has pledged transparency and full cooperation after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed an amendment to Proclamation 244 of 2025, broadening the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) inquiry into the municipality’s procurement practices.

What the amendment changes

SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho said the amendment relates specifically to the procurement of software licences and information technology (IT) service desk solutions at the municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. He said the original proclamation, published on 31 January 2025, authorised the SIU to investigate procurement or contracting for goods, works or services by or on behalf of the municipality where payments were not “fair, equitable, transparent, competitive or cost-effective.”

Expanded scope and extended timeframe

Makgotho said the amendment expands the probe to include additional bids and extends the period under investigation. The investigation period now starts on 5 June 2020, instead of 1 January 2022, and continues until the date of publication of the amended proclamation.

The SIU will investigate the following procurement bids at the municipality, Makgotho said:

• Bid GKM 19-22/23 appointment of a service provider to supply and renew software licences for a period of three years;
• Bid GKM 16-22/23 appointment of a service provider to supply customer care and IT service desk solutions for a period of three years;
• Bid GKM 43-19/20 supply and delivery of laptops and desktop computers; and
• Bid GKM 14-20/21 supply and renewal of software licences.

Makgotho added the investigation will examine “any irregular, unlawful or improper conduct by officials or employees of the municipality, service providers, suppliers, or any other person or entity during the period under investigation.”

Municipal response

When the original proclamation was first received, Mayor Lwanda Madikizela told council:

“The municipality will work closely with the SIU during the investigation. Upon the completion of the investigation, we will ensure that whoever flouted the laws of the country and the policies of the municipality will be subjected to the harshness of the law. We call upon both our management and councillors to cooperate fully with the SIU in carrying out the investigation.”

Municipal spokesperson Zolani Siqwayi said the council “acknowledged and appreciated the original proclamation and the amendment signed by the president.” He said the municipality “have cooperated and worked very closely with the SIU investigation team when they were doing the abovementioned investigation” and that it received a preliminary report detailing what transpired during the procurement process. Siqwayi called on the public to “give the investigation space and await the announcement of the results and outcome of the SIU investigation.”

Background on the original proclamation

In 2025, the SIU said the original proclamation covered allegations of unlawful and improper conduct between 1 January 2022 and 31 January 2025, and also allowed the SIU to investigate related activities before 1 January 2022 and after the proclamation date if they were pertinent to the matters under investigation or involved the same persons, entities or contracts.