MPUMALANGA LIFESTYLE AUDITS BLOCKED @KASIBC_AFRICA

While the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, and Premier Mandla Ndlovu, are refusing to do lifestyle audits on all senior government officials in the province, six out of ten Heads of Departments (HODs) are currently being investigated, suspended, or implicated in financial misconduct.

During a sitting of the Mpumalanga Legislature on Friday, the DA introduced a debate calling on Premier Ndlovu and his administration to urgently conduct lifestyle audits on all departments HODs, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), the Secretary of the Legislature, all senior procurement officials, senior Parastatals officials, and all managers within the Provincial Government and Municipalities. 

The DA’s call for such drastic, but necessary action, was triggered by reports that six out of ten department’s HODs in the province, are currently under investigation or suspended for financial misconduct. Implicated HODs are from the following departments: 

Education 

Sports, Culture and Recreation 

Agriculture 

Public Works 

Safety and Security 

Human Settlements 

The DA stated that the above-mentioned investigations and suspension of these senior accounting officers are good enough reasons for the Premier and his administration to conduct lifestyle audits on all senior officials who are directly or indirectly responsible for taxpayers' money in municipalities, provincial government departments, and parastatals. But to the DAs surprise, the ANC majority in the legislature decided to racialise the issue instead of agreeing to the lifestyle audits.

It seems that the DA opened Pandora's Box by introducing this debate. The ANC reacted with their backs against the wall and blamed "colonialism" and "white people not accepting that black people can be successful and have money". 

The ANC decided to ignore the fact that it is their MECs themselves that are currently investigating financial misconduct against these HODs; not the DA. Ironically, the EFF abstained from the debate.

Instead of allowing processes that will help the government in the fight against malpractice, corruption, and self-enrichment, the ANC decided to play the race card.

The DA will continue to fight corruption. But refusing to conduct lifestyle audits on the people responsible for taxpayers' money, the ANC showed their true colors. They simply don’t have the intention of fighting corruption within their ranks.