Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille has ordered an investigation into a senior public works official who allegedly misled the courts by deposing to an affidavit on De Lille's behalf without her knowledge or permission, says a Sunday Times report.

The affidavit was lodged as part of a court battle over a R200m lease deal for Sassa's new head office in a building owned by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).

This week, De Lille wrote to Imtiaz Fazel, acting DG of the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI), asking him to investigate Ndivhoni Mathivha, the director of real estate management services.

Mathivha is alleged to have misled the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) and deposed to an affidavit on De Lille's behalf in the court battle that saw the lease deal between Sassa and the PIC set aside.

De Lille was cited as a respondent in the case by Sassa's current landlord, Columbia Falls Properties, which is owned by property tycoon Phatudi Maponya.

Maponya successfully applied to declare Sassa's lease deal with the PIC invalid because no open tender process had been conducted.

On 4 August, Mathivha deposed to an affidavit on De Lille's behalf in support of Sassa, which opposed Maponya's application.

De Lille got wind of this and deposed to an affidavit the following day, saying her department's lawyers ‘have not consulted with me or my legal adviser pertaining to this matter nor sought my views and official input from the (DPWI)’.

De Lille's spokesperson, Zara Nicholson, said the Minister wrote to Fazel to investigate and ensure ‘consequence management’ against Mathivha.

Last week, the High Court ordered Sassa and the DPWI to conduct a competitive tender process to rent Sassa's headquarters.

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