Premier fingered in funeral row

THE DA in the Eastern Cape has blamed the entire provincial cabinet, particularly Premier Phumulo Masualle, for the Mandela funeral report scandal.

Earlier this month, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane released a report in which she found widespread maladministration and misappropriation of funds amounting to R300 million by the Eastern Cape provincial government in funding Mandela’s 2013 funeral.

Masualle was the MEC for finance and economic development at that time. DA MPL Bobby Stevenson said in a statement yesterday that the irregularities happened on Masualle’s watch.

“Even though all fingers are correctly pointed at the Eastern Cape Director-General, Marion Mbina-Mthembu, in relation to her role in the scandal, this cannot obscure the role of the provincial cabinet and particularly the current premier and then MEC for finance, Phumulo Masualle. All these irregularities happened on his watch and he should be held fully accountable.”

On Monday, DA national spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe gave a statement to the SAPS and submitted the public protector’s report in order to supplement charges which are under investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. Stevenson said that when the DA vigorously attacked Masualle’s role in this scandal in the provincial legislature back in 2014, the ANC closed ranks to protect him. “Athol Trollip, the then DA leader in the legislature, was suspended from the legislature for 30 days. The DA went to court and in a settlement, this decision was overturned.”