November 09, 2006 Edition 2
Alex Eliseev
Gauteng Housing MEC Nomvula Mokonyane calls it a tribute to a comrade and struggle hero who must never be forgotten. But the Democratic Alliance calls it a waste of taxpayers' money that could have been spent on low-cost housing.
Now, the opposition party is asking questions about when the R70 000 - spent by Mokonyane on advertisements in two newspapers - is going to be paid back.
"That R70 000 belonged to the people of Gauteng. The MEC wasted it and we believe she should pay it back," the DA's James Lorimer said yesterday.
The trouble began on October 24 2004 when the then KwaZulu Natal housing MEC, Dumisani "Brave Lion" Makhaye, died due to lung cancer.
Subsequently, President Thabo Mbeki and other politicians paid warm tributes to him by issuing press statements. Mokonyane, however, opted for something different.
She authorised for adverts to be placed in two Sunday newspapers to send condolences to the Umkhonto weSizwe freedom fighter and revolutionary.
The following month the DA questioned Mokonyane in parliament about the spending, and were not given direct answers. They were told that "Makhaye contributed to what is now hailed as a miracle by those who never lifted a finger in the struggle".
Mokonyane added: "No money is worth the sacrifice he has made. The people of Gauteng are much more interested that we should never forget those heroes and heroines."
But the DA argued that with thousands of people waiting for houses, spending money on media campaigns was only "exacerbating the problem".
The Public Protector was called in to investigate, and ruled that the spending was "unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful" and ordered further internal investigation. The MEC's reasons for the advertisement "cannot be accepted", the report said.
"Parliament, the president and other government departments and officials expressed their condolences to the family of the deceased at no expense," the report added.
"It is also not clear why a personal message to Makhaye's family was not considered as a better option than to publish an expensive advertisement that they might not even have been aware of."
Last year, Finance and Economic Affairs MEC and Gauteng Treasury head Paul Mashatile ordered the Public Service Commission (PSC) to investigate.
Oddly, they probed Malindi Nembambula, acting head of the Housing Department, who had been appointed three weeks after the adverts were placed. Mokonyane, despite taking responsibility, was not investigated.
Predictably, the PSC found that Nembambula could not be held accountable, and the matter died down.
But yesterday the DA pushed for answers.
"It has been a year. Mashatile should send Mokonyane a bill. If he is not going to, we would like to know why," Lorimer said.
Mashatile's spokesperson, Percy Mthimkhulu, explained that Mashatile was not asked to "investigate anybody", but his brief was to determine whether Nembambula should be charged with any wrongdoing following the findings of the Public Protector.
"The panel found Nembambula could not be charged with financial misconduct because she was not an accounting officer during the processing of the transaction and she has since resigned from the department. We consider the matter closed," Mthimkhulu said.