Majali named in audit of E Cape's missing R100m

he controversial Sandi Majali -- known for his role in the Oilgate scandal -- has been named in a forensic audit into the disappearance of more than R100-million meant for starving children in the Eastern Cape, the Sunday Times reported.

As the head of oil company Imvume Management, Majali was a central figure in the Oilgate debacle surrounding R11-million of taxpayers' money paid to the African National Congress as election funds ahead of the 2004 elections. He was also named in the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. The audit found that companies under Majali's control had been involved in the collapse of the R230-million school feeding scheme, and the Scorpions are now probing irregularities uncovered during the audit. The feeding scheme collapsed barely six months after being launched in June last year when it emerged that food was not getting to children at about 5 000 Eastern Cape schools, the Sunday Times reported.

Majali was in charge of four of six community cooperatives that were awarded tenders to distribute supplies to smaller cooperatives that would prepare and distribute the meals. The 51-page audit report, commissioned by Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela, found that Majali's cooperatives were irregularly awarded tenders, irregularly paid at least R6-million over four months and overpaid by R9-million.

By the time the scheme crashed, the Sunday Times said, the government had paid out R100-million -- and it is unclear where the rest of the R100-million went.

Source: Mail & Guardian