#KZNLifestyleAudits: DA challenges Premier Mchunu to lead by example and start with his own audit

6 March 2018

The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal challenges Premier Willies Mchunu to lead by example and start with himself when it comes to lifestyle audits being conducted in the province.

The audits were announced last week during the Premier’s State of the Province Address (SOPA).

The DA has already committed its own caucus members to such an exercise, while calling on the Premier to follow suit along with members of his ANC caucus and all KZN Legislature staff. The Premier’s reply was that only Supply Chain Management staff and officials will be subject to scrutiny.

This is simply not good enough in a province where there is wide-scale fraud and corruption. While the DA welcomes the Premier’s initiative in the interests of trying to address this, all the signs are pointing to a probe which is likely to be subjective rather than objective.

Of further concern is the issue of whether the audits will be used to settle political scores, for those not politically connected, rather than trying to root out corruption. It is a known fact that some senior KZN politicians are linked to corrupt activities and are complicit in these activities.

Furthermore, it is imperative that these audits be conducted by an independent body, such as the office of the Auditor-General, to ensure their credibility. The results must also be made public and not kept under lock and key, as with so many others.

If the Premier is serious about corruption then he needs to heed the DA’s challenge and lead by example.

Issued by Francois Rodgers, Leader of the DA in the KZN Legislature, 6 March 2018