Cosatu, EFF call on Masuku to step aside amid tender allegations
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called on Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku to step aside amid allegations that he influenced the awarding of a R125 million Covid-19 tender.
The Sunday Independent reported that the tender was awarded to a company known as Royal Bhaca Project, of which the husband of presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko is the sole director.
Diko and Masuku’s wife Loyiso Lugayeni-Masuku are close family friends.
Masuku has released a statement denying the allegations, while Diko and her husband have also denied benefitting from the tender.
They maintain the contract was cancelled and no payment was ever received.
Diko has nevertheless already stepped aside from her positions in government amid the investigations.
But Cosatu is adamant that Masuku should also be forced to step aside until the investigations are concluded.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has been talking tough on corruption,” says Cosatu’s Sizwe Pamla.
“In the build-up to his electoral campaign at Nasrec he said that his administration will not tolerate any corruption. This is the manifesto the ANC was using to get votes, it was the commitment made to the people of South Africa. If he takes his commitments serious then those implicated in irregular tender processes should step aside.”
He says stepping aside is not a sign of guilt.
"If the MEC is cleared then he will resume his responsibilities, but for now with this cloud hanging over it doesn’t make sense with the administration that has been speaking strongly on corruption.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has echoed the call by Cosatu, saying Masuku should step down pending a probe by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
"Gauteng EFF demands a thorough investigation into the awarding of all PPE contracts since the beginning of the lockdown,” says the party’s acting provincial chairperson Itani Mukwevho.
“It has become clear that Covid-19 has presented an opportunity for the politically connected to dispense political patronage by awarding their friends government monies meant to fight the pandemic, while disregarding proper supply gain management and inflating prices above National Treasury guidelines.”
ALSO READ
EFF insists Diko must resign as Ramaphosa spokesperson
This comes amid reports that Diko's husband, Amabaca King Madzikazi II Thandisizwe, benefited from a R125 million Covid-19 tender from the Gauteng government. Both Diko and her husband have denied benefitting from the tender, saying the contract was cancelled and no payment was ever received.