The new Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), Dean Macpherson, has revealed that at least R300 million has been stolen from the department in the last 10 years in an elaborate scheme by cyber-hackers, and potentially officials within the department.

In a statement released today, the Minister says in May alone, the cyber attackers stole a further R24 million rand.

Investigations are underway, and four officials have been suspended. Thirty laptops have also been seized.

In a post on X, Macpherson says he decided to take the ”public into his confidence” in the interests of transparency to reveal the staggering cyber crime that has been unearthed by the department.

In a statement the Department says the R300 million theft could increase, as investigations continue.

Following the latest episode in Mat this year, during which Macpherson says the cyber-hackers stole a further R24 million, a full forensic investigation by the Hawks, South African Police Services, State Security Agency and experts in the ICT and cyber security industry was launched.

The extent of the crime became apparent after Macpherson and his Deputy, Minister Sihle Zikalala, started conducting detailed assessments on the work of the department and through the incoming briefings from department branches.

“It has become clear that the department has been a soft target and playground for cyber criminals for over a 10 year period and this should have been picked up a lot earlier. I felt it important to let South Africa know what has happened and what we are doing about it. I cannot discount the possibility of collusion between officials and criminals in this prolonged period of theft. It is clear that we need better financial controls which I have said to the department are a matter of urgency.”

The Minister has pledged to crack down on these syndicates and those in ”cahoots with them internally or externally.”

“We want to put a stop to this immediately because we cannot allow our department to be subjected to unchecked looting. This is money that could have been spent on our infrastructure drive to improve the lives of South Africans. The investigation will be expanded and deepened to find the masterminds and the beneficiaries of this grand theft, and I want to see them in prison.”

Four officials have been suspended and 30 laptops seized by the investigators.

The four DPWI officials suspended include three senior management officials and one middle management official.

The department was forced to shut down all its payment systems causing significant delays in the payment of its creditors.

In May, the department announced that it had ordered a full forensic probe into ”vulnerabilities in the department’s information and technology systems.”

The department identified the cyber-security vulnerabilities with the assistance of its banking partners including ABSA and the South African Reserve Bank.

Macpherson has welcomed the initial swift investigation launched by his predecessor and now Deputy Minister Zikalala.

He added the department has suffered a massive financial loss and those responsible must be held to account.

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