INVESTIGATE RECONSTRUCTION FUND PAYOUTS

Sir,

Africans have a knack for turning stumbling blocks to stepping stones. Each time there is a crisis, their interest to serve is intertwined with an intention to benefit at the expense of the people. This is particularly true in the case of the Reconstruction Fund that was set up by the King after the unrest of June 2021. The money raised by the King was enough to cover all reconstruction needs of both businesses and private citizens.

Appalling

But, what happened is appalling. Government only compensated some businesses, while others were left to fend for themselves. Even the businesses that got something were not fully compensated. They were only given money for buildings, but nothing for the goods that were either burnt or looted. Some businesses were forced to close, never to reopen again because the owners were left bankrupt.  Some high profile people benefitted in a comfortable manner, yet they had only suffered minimal damage.I suggest that the Prime Minister institute a full probe into the use of the funds.

Probe

Such a probe must be led by a lawyer, such as Mangaliso Magagula or Advocate Lucas Maziya, it must also have a chartered accountant or a qualified auditor as well as an inquisitive former MP such as Titus Thwala. I heard that some few Asians were arrested for allegedly defrauding the Fund. Those were just small fry. It is nothing compared to what really happened. People must go to jail for the role they played in defrauding the well-intended fund. They took advantage of that the Fund operated like an emergency fund. This implies that some checks and balances were overlooked, to the convenience of these fraudsters. This fund must also tell us how much remained in the account after payments had been made. We want to know why those funds remained in the account, yet people had not been adequately compensated. It must also delve on the formation of the rules of the fund, so that we track the flaws from grassroots level. We want to know why people were not compensated for their homes, which were bombed.

Compensation

That should have also been part of the reconstruction compensation process. We also heard that the committees were changed midstream from time to time for whatever reason. All this must be explained in the report that would then be compiled. Reports that a Cabinet minister who runs a grocery shop was compensated should also not be taken lightly. This is not to say he did not deserve to be compensated because he is a minister. The fact is that the process by which he was compensated must be investigated to ascertain if he did not enrich himself with the fund.

Truth Sayer

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