DA wants Myeni’s spending investigated
The DA is to write to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, asking her to launch an investigation into what it refers to as Mhlathuze Water Board chairwoman Dudu Myeni’s flagrant abuse of public funds.
On Sunday, City Press revealed details of Myeni’s travel invoices and itineraries for 23 trips booked and paid for by the Mhlathuze Water Board.
The documents show trips totalling R678‚761 — with spending on five-star hotels‚ business class travel‚ hotel room service and a limousine ride.
“This extravagant expenditure was allowed even though Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan had announced costcutting, which limited air travel‚ car hire‚ accommodation and conferences‚” said DA deputy spokeswoman on human settlements Tarnia Baker.
In terms of the Public Protector Act‚ the public protector is empowered to investigate “abuse or unjustifiable exercise of power or unfair‚ capricious‚ discourteous or other improper conduct or undue delay by a person performing a public function”.
Baker said that Myeni, who is also chairwoman of South African Airways, should not have been allowed to be in this position at all.
On November 28 2016‚ the High Court in Pietermaritzburg found that the extension of her term as chairwoman of the Mhlathuze Water Authority was unlawful and that it must be set aside.
Baker said: “The Mhlathuze Water Authority’s 2014-15 and 2015-16 annual reports indicate that Myeni was paid R538‚000 in 2015, with an additional R508‚000 in 2016.
“Since a court has ruled that her appointment from February 2015 to date was unlawful‚ Myeni should pay back the full R1‚046‚000.”
THE HIGH COURT FOUND THAT THE EXTENSION OF HER TERM AS CHAIRWOMAN WAS UNLAWFUL
She said the DA wrote to Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane last week, requesting that she investigate a clear breach of the Public Finance Management Act by Myeni. It had received an unsatisfactory response, with no indication of what steps the minister was taking to ensure accountability.
“Clearly, the minister has no interest in ensuring that officials who abuse public funds are held to account,” Baker said. “It is high time that Myeni be made to account for her flagrant abuse of the public purse.
“A public protector investigation is the appropriate means to ensure this.”