Mbalula enters Cabinet with adverse Public Protector finding over his head
30 May 2019
While Pravin Gordhan's retention as a minister, following recent Public Protector findings against him, has been under the spotlight, newly appointed Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula also has a Public Protector finding hanging over his head.
In Gordhan's case, Public Protector, advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, found that he had flouted the law, procedures and the Constitution in approving former SARS boss Ivan Pillay's application for early retirement. Gordhan has since filed a review application, asking the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to set aside the report.
In Mbalula's case, Mkhwebane found in 2018 that a trip he had taken to Dubai in 2016, when he was Minister of Sports and Recreation, was paid for by a company that conducted business with sport governing body Sascoc, leading to a conflict of interest.
While Mbalula initially denied the allegations, Mkhwebane found that Sedgars paid for almost half of the R680 000 trip.