One of the companies under investigation belongs to a cousin of African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema - report

The Limpopo government has dismissed 40 corrupt officials, a spokesman said on Monday.

“We have laid off... 40 officials who were embroiled in allegations of crime and corruption,” provincial government spokesman Tebatso Mabitsela told SABC radio news.

“We’ve subjected them to disciplinary hearings and we found that  they were indeed guilty of crime and corruption and they have been laid off from the administration.”   

He was responding to weekend newspaper reports that the Limpopo government was being investigated for fraud and corruption worth millions of rands.

“We are not aware of any investigations whatsoever but we are saying, as a provincial government, in case this [report of an investigation]... is true, we would want the Hawks to conduct the investigation without fear or favour.”   

Mabitsela said the provincial government had blacklisted 44 companies for “contravening contractual obligations” and “building shoddy houses to our people in the province”.

The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that an anti-corruption task team was investigating the province.

Hawks spokesman Mcintosh Polela said the matter was being “looked into”.

The Sunday Times said one of the companies under investigation belonged to a cousin of African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema.