Makhura, Lesufi and Nkomo-Ralehoko hiding explosive levels of corruption relating to Gauteng’s School Nutrition Programme
21 April 2021
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be submitting a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to the Office of the Premier to access the forensic report relating to two tenders awarded for Gauteng’s School Nutrition Programme.
This follows Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for Finance, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, having closed ranks and failing to come clean regarding potential grand-scale corruption relating to the tenders.
In February, the DA posed questions to Lesufi regarding the status of the forensic investigation into two school nutrition tenders, GT/GDE/075/2016 and GT/GDE/076/2016, which were awarded in 2016, yet were found to have been done so irregularly.
In response to these questions, Lesufi stated that disciplinary processes for those involved in these tenders are under way – however no recommendation was made to recover the funds siphoned off through the awarding of these tenders.
When asked for specifics as to the nature of the investigations, Lesufi passed the buck to Finance MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.
In response to questions posed to her, Nkomo-Ralehoko indicated the matter is being dealt with by the Office of the Premier as this is where the forensic investigating unit is based.
Upon posing the matter to Makhura, he simply responded by providing Lesufi’s answer from February.
The malaise of incompetence of this ANC-led Provincial Government knows no bounds.
Bringing those implicated in graft to book, those who have abused the public purse and enriched themselves at the expense of the province’s most needy, matters little in the eyes of Makhura, Lesufi and Nkomo-Ralehoko.
The people of this province deserve a responsive, service-delivery orientated government, not one that shield its comrades from scrutiny at the expense of the needy.
Issued by Adriana Randall, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Finance, 21 April 2021
