12 000 dead people doing busin

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 31: People gather at Church Square during the #OccupyTreasury protest on March 31, 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa. Marchers gathered outside the National Treasury in Pretoria, calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down, following his announcement early on Friday of a dramatic Cabinet reshuffle. Axed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was also present. (Photo by Gallo Images / Alet Pretorius)

12 000 dead people doing business with the SA government. Report

We wish this was an April fool’s joke… alas.

12 000 dead people doing busin

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 31: People gather at Church Square during the #OccupyTreasury protest on March 31, 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa. Marchers gathered outside the National Treasury in Pretoria, calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down, following his announcement early on Friday of a dramatic Cabinet reshuffle. Axed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was also present. (Photo by Gallo Images / Alet Pretorius)

It reads like the start of a joke, but we’re afraid this one’s no laughing matter.

A report by the Sunday Times has revealed that there are around 12 000 people on the South African government’s books that aren’t even alive. National Treasury’s register of companies shows that these folks are doing business with the state, but that they don’t even have a heartbeat.

National Treasury’s procurement office started a ‘ government clean up’ a few years ago as a means of putting an end to irregular expenditure and wasteful spending and the 12 000 ‘zombie entrepreneurs’ were discovered thanks to this task team.

Related: Treasury left red-faced after Gigaba’s advisor punts nationalisation of banks, mines

Additionally, it’s been discovered that 14 000 state employees are listed as directors of companies that aren’t even legally allowed to do business with the state, but have been given government tenders.

“We will report on them even if we drag those 14,000 to court by their hair and lock them up,” Schalk Human, the acting head of the task team, told the Sunday Times.

According to the newspaper, fraud and other dodgy dealings eat into government’s R600 billion annual goods and services budget to the extent of around 40%, which is why Human’s task team is so important.

Folks looking to extort the system setup companies using the identities of dead people, and then use these companies to tender for services advertised by the government. The same people who’ve set up the fake companies then bid for tenders, against themselves, which makes their real company look like the better option.

 “It looks like there is competition, yet it’s the same guy,” Human said.

Read the full report in the Sunday Times here.