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Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has told the Public Service Commission that it expects the PSC's report on the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Boitumelo “Cox” Mokgoro before the end of the term.
Mokgoro, the chief financial officer of the Property Management Trading entity at the Department of Public Works, has long been vocal about expenditure challenges at the department.
In 2013 he informed Parliament that department officials colluded with suppliers to ensure the department forked out R200 per glass of water at an event.
However, he has now been investigated for occupying more than one high profile position in the department, which includes a special position as the adviser to the minister.
The department seemingly settled on the decision of the two posts with the guidance of a firm, Honey Cloud Enterprises, which Mokgoro allegedly owns.
At some point, Mokgoro was said to be earning over R2m annually from the department positions he occupied.
PSC Director General Dovhani Mamphiswana told Scopa that the PSC had conducted its investigation under the instruction of the committee.
"We invited Mr Mokgoro to the commission. Ordinarily when we finalise an investigation and have a draft report, we give it to the affected party for comment," said Mamphiswana. On October 1, the PSC wrote a letter with the draft report to the minister, the Director General (DG) and Mr Mokgoro," he added.
Mamphiswana said Mokgoro sought an extension on the time he was given to study the report and respond to it. He said the PSC could grant this to a person who was implicated in one of its investigations or reports.
The parties were initially given until October 5, 2018 to comment.
"We received responses from the three parties. The DG expressed satisfaction. The minister asked for 21 days to indulge the report. Mokgoro requested 15 days. The parties agreed," Mamphiswana said.
Members of the committee made it clear that they were under a tight schedule.
