The probe into allegations of fraud and corruption against KwaZulu-Natal health and education MECs Nomagugu Simelane and Sipho Hlomuka is gaining momentum after the two officials submitted responses to the premier's office.
Premier Thami Ntuli confirmed on Friday he received submissions from the MECs which will form part of the internal review process against them. This comes after allegations implicating them in the misuse of public funds and using their positions in government for self-enrichment.
“These submissions were requested as part of an internal process aimed at addressing serious matters raised against both members of the executive council. The deadline for these representations was set for Monday, following an earlier notification issued last week,” said premier’s spokesperson Bongani Gina.
Simelane is accused of influencing funding to a company linked to her family, Kwazi-Gugu Investments, which allegedly received a “controversial loan” from Ithala Bank and duplicate payments totalling R1.42m made to the family’s business by the department of agriculture. This was said to be during her tenure as chair of the agriculture and rural development portfolio committee in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
She is also alleged to have interfered with media freedom by pressing for the dismissal of a radio presenter critical of undocumented migrants accessing state health care.
Hlomuka is faced with allegations of political interference and personal enrichment in the controversial R2.9bn national schools nutrition programme tender scandal.
He is alleged to have interfered with the tender processes to benefit his allies in the ANC and has since been directly linked after it emerged a company registered to him in 2015 was among the beneficiaries of the tender issued by his department.
The two officials have denied any wrongdoing, claiming they had severed ties with the companies long before the dealings and the positions they’ve had in government had no influence in procurement processes.
Simelane said she resigned from her family business in 2004, which was four years before it received the Ithala loan. At the time, she was a junior official in government with no influence on Ithala’s funding decisions.
She said funding to her family business predated her tenure as committee chair.
Hlomuka acknowledged the implicated company was registered by him when he was not part of government and claimed he had relinquished his stake well before taking office and he is not aware of its activities.
Opposition parties in the legislature, the MK Party and the EFF, called on Ntuli to remove the two MECs from the provincial cabinet.
The two parties repeated the calls during budget speech presentations by Simelane and Hlomuka on Tuesday, going as far as stating the ANC should apply its “step-aside” rule until they are cleared.
The premier's office said the two submissions are undergoing careful review and the process would adhere to the constitutional principles of fairness and administrative justice.
Ntuli's spokesperson Bongani Gina said: “The premier has reiterated his commitment to handling the matter with the utmost integrity, transparency and accountability. Further communication will be issued on conclusion of the review process as the premier’s undertaking to transparency and good governance.”
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