NOORDWESTER – LICHTENBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe allegations of serious maladministration within the Department of Defence, specifically linked to the procurement of surgical mask elastic loops. The proclamation, signed into law as Proclamation 260 of 2025, empowers the SIU to investigate whether the tender process was conducted in a manner that was not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable, or cost-effective, and whether it violated any applicable legislation or instructions from the National or Provincial Treasury.