In what amounted to breaking ranks, ex-Gauteng sports MEC Molebatsi Bopape mounted a scathing an attack against Premier David Makhur.
|||Johannesburg - Former Gauteng sports MEC Molebatsi Bopape has divided the Gauteng Provincial Legislature as she sought to spill the beans about why she was unceremoniously removed from office.
In what amounted to breaking ranks, she mounted a scathing an attack against Premier David Makhura for allegedly protecting a suspended senior official who apparently has “strong political backing” in his executive.
Drama unfolded in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature when Bopape arrived carrying a dossier which purportedly supported her version of events that Makhura had failed to summon her to his office after allegations of corruption were made against her.
Bopape was accused of having influenced the awarding of a R10-million security tender to a company of her choice.
She also accused Makhura of having removed her as MEC for Sport and later MEC for Social Development solely based on allegations from her accusers, but denied her the “noble principle of alteram partem (let the other side be heard as well)”.
Bopape had intended to reveal all this to the full sitting of the legislature on Friday, but she was prevented by Speaker Ntombi Mekgwe from addressing the house, which led to the opposition DA and the EFF staging a walkout in a rare show of solidarity with an ANC official.
The DA and EFF leaders were already in possession of the dossier when Mekgwe prohibited Bopape from speaking.
The dossier included a letter written by Makhura in November last year to outgoing public service commissioner Mike Seloane asking him to investigate her. She also included a letter Makhura wrote to the legislature's integrity commissioner Dr Ralph Mgijima without first establishing a prima facie case against her.
In the same dossier, Bopape included sworn affidavits written by two auditor-general officials confirming suspended head of department Namhla Siqaza allegedly tried to bribe them in exchange for giving the department a clean audit opinion.
The dossier also included legal documents served on Siqaza after she allegedly blocked the security company appointed to guard the premises of the department of sports and arts department. Bopape had earlier, when allegations surfaced against her, argued that she was not MEC when security tenders were published and had not played any role in the award thereof.
She was appointed MEC in May 2014 and a letter of demand to Siqaza was served on November 19, 2014.
But it was Bopape’s member statement that appeared to have angered Mekgwe, prompting her to call Bopape by her first name in flagrant disregard of the rules of the legislature. Mekgwe said Bopape was undermining the disciplinary processes of the ANC and that she failed to consult with her to get permission to vent her frustrations in the legislature.
Justifying her actions, Mekgwe said she made a similar ruling in favour of the EFF when one of their former members, Gladwin Khaiyane, wanted to vent his anger with the EFF.
It was during that time that the DA’s Mike Moriarty and his team started a walk-out.
“The Speaker of the House is supposed to be unbiased and non-partisan. Moreover, members are free to make statements as individuals in terms of the legislature rules. In ordering Bopape to first get permission from her Chief Whip, Mekgwe has shown she is biased and runs the House according to the agenda of the ANC.
“Bopape was fired earlier this year as the MEC when claims of corruption and irregularities were made about her. However, it is alleged these activities are historic and stem from when the current MEC for economic development, Lebogang Maile, ran the department.
“The events have shown the factionalism within the ANC in Gauteng, and how the ANC is not serious about combating corruption when one of their own is implicated,” Moriarty said.
He said the DA would request the integrity commissioner investigate the Speaker’s behaviour in the legislature. “We will work with Molebatsi Bopape to ensureher claims are investigated and not kept in the dark by the ANC,” Moriarty said.
In Bopape’s six-page member statement seen by the Sunday Independent and not allowed to be read in the legislature - she wrote: “I have been denied the right to be heard. I have not only been denied the opportunity to discuss work-related difficulties with my immediate superior (David Makhura), but more importantly core subject of my statement, the noble principle of Audi alteram partem, has been forsaken.
“On assumption of duty at the department of sport, art, culture and recreation, the MEC had inherited a department depleted of senior personnel, since the outgoing MEC of the department had relocated with most of them to his new posting.
Word from the premier on the matter was that the MEC was on her own and had to get on with the job of running the department, literally saying: ‘patlele ba gago.’ (find your own way).
According to Bopape, the few that remained had allegedly taken ownership of units responsible for the issuing of tendersand when she intervened, she was accused of interfering in administrative matters. The crunch, Bopape said, was when she acted against corruption including getting sworn affidavits supporting the version that Siqaza allegedly tried to bribe auditor-general’s officials.
Makhura has dismissed the allegations against him.
“The allegations against me were baseless and not founded on facts,” he said.
He said the investigations against the former head of department was nearing completion and would he pronounce his decision after the completion of the disciplinary hearing, saying “I am keen to ensure the closure of that chapter.”
Makhura was adamant that he took the right decision when he asked the Public Service Commission and the Integrity Commissioner to probe Bopape based on the allegations against her. He said he instituted the investigations after Bopape had allegedly been reported to the public protector.
Gauteng ANC spokesperson Nkenke Kekana said Bopape's conduct was questionable and that they would not hesitate to take disciplinary steps against her.
“We concur with Comrade Makhura’s sentiments with regard to Comrade Bopape’s utterances, which he dismissed with disdain. Comrade Makhura said 'the disciplinary process against the head of the department of sports, arts, culture and recreation in Gauteng is nearing completion. I have personally been involved to ensure that we close that chapter'.
“The case will be concluded and is being adjudicated by an independent panel.”
Sunday Independent