Slow progress in disciplining officials linked to contract that grounded Gauteng airwing

Almost R157 million was paid for the irregular hiring of helicopters for the Gauteng Traffic Police Airwing. The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has confirmed that no officials have yet been disciplined over a tender that cost government over R150 million in wasted funds. A tender to supply the government with hired helicopters and aircraft was first flagged in 2024, with the Office of the Premier recently confirming that investigations were still ongoing. The information was shared via a written response to a question posed by the DA, signed off by Premier Panyaza Lesufi on 21 September. A total of R197 million was earmarked for the procurement of aircraft to be used by the airborne traffic police, with almost R157 million paid and eventually declared irregular expenditure. A fresh process to fulfil the original purpose of the tender is underway, with the province only able to determine the replacement costs at the end of the year when the procurement process is expected to be completed. Officials implicated in 2024 The Premier’s response confirmed that his office was notified of “persons of interest” responsible for the irregular expenditure back in July 2024 during an audit by the Auditor-General of South Africa. However, two years on, the officials had not been punished. “At this stage, no disciplinary or precautionary action has been instituted against the officials identified as persons of interest. “Any disciplinary, civil, criminal or administrative action will be determined by the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” the premier’s response states. DA Gauteng spokesperson for community safety Michael Sun stated that the contract was only terminated in January 2026, 18 months after Lesufi’s office was notified. The DA are calling for the immediate suspension of the implicated officials and clarity on how the funds would be recouped. “This failure to act has denied Gauteng residents an effective airwing to support policing operations, combat crime, and respond swiftly to emergencies. “No disciplinary or precautionary action has been taken against the four officials identified, and Gauteng has no plan to recover R156.4 million already irregularly paid to the service provider,” stated Sun. ‘Resulted in a limitation’ of support Lesufi’s response clarified that his office did not participate in the tender as it was part of National Treasury’s RT61-2018 transversal tender for the hiring and leasing of aircraft to the state. However, the cancellation of the contract did leave law-enforcement short-changed. “The termination of the contract resulted in a limitation of the Gauteng Airwing Unit’s dedicated aerial operational capacity. “However, the department has continued to support operations through alternative arrangements, including collaboration with strategic law-enforcement partners, the deployment of drones where operationally appropriate, and continued operational planning, coordination and ground-based support functions to mitigate the impact on law-enforcement operations,” the response stated. The GPG confirmed that it is in the process of acquiring air support for the traffic department, but could not confirm the details. “The cost of replacing the airwing unit was yet to be determined, and should be known when the procurement process is expected to be concluded by the end of the year,” the response concluded.