The Department of Defence and Military Veterans cannot say when 90 pothole-repair machines worth R27.8 million will become operational, almost five years after they were procured, as they remain held as evidence in an ongoing Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga said it was premature for the department to decide what to do with the machines while the investigation continued.
The machines have remained unused, with no training conducted and no implementation plan developed, according to Motshekga’s written reply to a parliamentary question from uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party MP Pumlani Kubukeli.
Kubukeli asked what plans the department had put in place to ensure the machines were deployed for the benefit of military veterans and service delivery, what steps had been taken to secure their release from the SIU and when they would begin repairing potholes.
Department considers options for machines
Motshekga said the department would consider different options once the time was appropriate, including developing a strategy to use the machines for road maintenance or disposing of them to recover misused funds.
“It is premature to undertake any action under the current climate when machines are under investigations,” she said.
The department would consider ways to put the equipment to productive use, including road maintenance.
“At the right time the department will look at a number of possibilities including crafting a strategy that will ensure their productive usage, including road maintenance purposes.”
Disposal was another option, Motshekga said.
“Alternatively, the plan may entail disposal process to recoup misused funds, in line with the National Treasury prescripts,” she said.
She said the department would adopt whichever strategy was most suitable at the time, taking into account the interests of military veterans.
“The department will adopt which ever strategy will be best suitable at that time, bearing in mind the best interest of military veterans,” she said.
Niehaus raised concerns over alleged rental of machines
EFF MP Carl Niehaus previously alleged that the pothole-repair machines were being illegally rented out to third parties, with certain individuals in the Department of Military Veterans allegedly benefiting.
In an opinion piece published by IOL in July, Niehaus said he had received information from whistleblowers about the alleged rentals and intended to provide it to Motshekga.
Niehaus said the machines were procured in 2021 to support military veterans through skills development and income-generating opportunities linked to road maintenance projects.
However, no pothole-repair projects had been implemented, no veterans had been trained to operate the machines and no implementation plan had been put in place.
He also criticised the ongoing SIU investigation, arguing that the machines remained unused while the probe continued.
Motshekga said the department had not asked the SIU to release the machines because the investigation was still under way.
“The work of SIU has not been concluded, thus it is premature to request for the release of the machines,” she said.
Motshekga could not provide a date for when the machines would begin repairing potholes, saying the timing depended on the finalisation of the SIU investigation.
