Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu should be apologising to South Africa!

I will not apologise to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, or anyone else for making an issue of the appointment of Paul Ngobeni - a fugitive from justice facing a series of criminal charges including larceny, forgery and the illegal practice of law in the United States - as a Special Adviser in the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans.

The minister released a press statement yesterday calling on me "to apologise to Mr Ngobeni, the Minister and the Ministry for his defamation remarks and all the allegations he made in the media about the appointment and process of appointment."

I want to be clear. 

I will not apologise.

It is the minister who should apologise.

The fact is that the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, found that Paul Ngobeni "is a fugitive from justice in the United States of America." 

When the Minister was confronted with evidence that Paul Ngobeni, her special adviser, was a fugitive from justice in the United States, she did absolutely nothing. 

Rather than investigating the very serious allegations, the Minister protected Paul Ngobeni. 

The Minister claimed, even after being presented with evidence that Paul Ngobeni was a fugitive from justice in the United States, that:

• "Paul Ngobeni is a brilliant legal brain and I have no reason to question his integrity."(15 February 2010); and
• "Special Advisor Dr Paul Ngobeni is not a fugitive from the law." (12 March 2010).

One must wonder why the Minister sat on her hands and did nothing about the appointment of Paul Ngobeni? 

The only conclusion one can draw is that the Minister intended to provide a ministerial sanctuary for Paul Ngobeni who had been part of the "brains trust" who assisted President Jacob Zuma. 

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, failed to do anything about the appointment of Paul Ngobeni, even after being presented with evidence that he was a fugitive from justice in the United States.

This is a huge indictment of the Minister.

One of the key organizational and individual values promoted by the defence department is "integrity". 

The Minister clearly undermined the values promoted within her own department by appointing Paul Ngobeni as her Special Adviser and then protecting him even when she was presented with evidence that he was a fugitive from justice in the United States.
The Minister clearly has one set of standards for her advisors and another set of standards for members of her department.

In the end, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, should apologise for the damage the appointment of Paul Ngobeni - and her subsequent failure to review his appointment - did to the reputation of the Department of Defence.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence & Military Veterans, April 26 2012

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