Mosupyoe game to stop corruption
Path charted out for clean admin, says MEC
Gauteng MEC for sport Morakane Mosupyoe is determined to curb any form of corruption in her department.
Mosupyoe is part of the new administration under premier Panyaza Lesufi. She is previously MEC for economic development and tourism.
The Atteridgeville-born public servant has been in office for four weeks. She admitted to being unfamiliar with the new department she has been deployed to head in the province.
“It’s a new area for me, I must confess. I have never been involved in sport, arts, culture and recreation. It’s a first but it’s exciting,” said Mosupyoe speaking to the media at the Orlando Stadium, on the sidelines of the announcement of the 11th Gauteng Sports Awards yesterday.
“There’s a lot that the premier said we have to do as a department and as a province.
‘We have our path charted out. We are also building on the good we found in the department. We’ll be bringing something new. What’s more exciting for me is that the premier said we must take most of our programmes to the townships,” she said.
Having been a public servant for more than 25 years, Mosupyoe is aware that she’ll have to crack the whip on corruption.
“If you’re working with government money or resources, you are exposed to people who will try to take advantage of the situation, people who are naughty,” she said.
“There is what is normally referred to as corruption. Sometimes it’s not even corruption but there are those challenges that are there and we can’t pretend they don’t exist. When we are confronted with those, we are enjoined by law to address them.”
Mosupyoe’s department will host the 11th edition of the Gauteng Sport Awards on January 28.
The finalists in 20 categories were announced yesterday in an event that was attended by athletes, sports administrators, federation representatives and public and private sector stakeholders.
The sportsman of the year will be contested by Pieter Coetzee, Thomas van Rijckevorsel, and Jovan Daniel van Vuuren, while those up for the sportswoman of the year include Tiane de Bod, Ayabonga Khaka and Lara van Niekerk.
The public-voted category of the sports personality of the year will see Pieter du Preez, Andile Dlamini, Lara van Niekerk, and Asanda Bidla face off.