Mkhwebane fingers ministers, organs of state for ignoring remedial actions

Busisiwe Mkhwebane briefed the media in Pretoria on Thursday and named and shamed 50 government officials and organs of state for failing to comply.

POLICE MINISTER BHEKI CELE

Mkhwebane said Cele failed to provide security for two whistleblowers, who came exposed maladministration in uMzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal.

“We have two whistleblowers from KwaZulu-Natal who are on the run, having fled their homes after several threats were made on their lives. Their crime is lifting the lid of the maladministration that took place in uMzimkhulu.

“Last year I asked the president to take action against the minister for failure to afford the two gentlemen the protections they require. Action is yet to be taken.”

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DEFENCE MINISTER NOSIVIWE MAPISA-NQAKULA

Mkhwebane said Mapisa-Nqakula failed to implement the remedial action in the case of Mr Babalo Mvithi.

Mvithi is a former lieutenant-colonel in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

“He and his family are without a source of income because of maladministration on the part of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans.

“The Military Ombudsman had ruled in favor of the complainant but the department would not implement Mr Vithi to escalate to us. We confirmed the finding of the ombudsman and took remedial action, which was all in vain.

“Now and again, Mr Vithi writes to me, complaining that my office is doing nothing about his plight when in fact we have done all that we could. In his correspondence he recounted he can’t even afford sanitary towels for his teenage daughters as a result of what he sees as failure to assist from my office.”

FINANCE MINSITER TITO MBOWENI

Mkhwebane said the matter involves the Vhembe Concerned Pensioners Group from Limpopo.

Complainants include Messrs TJ Tshiololi, LJ Rambau and MP Rmamvhale.

All three complainants approached the Public Protector on behalf of their colleagues.

They complained that the state in particular the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the National Treasury, acted improperly during the privatization of the Venda Pension Fund, resulting in the prejudice of members.

“Following an investigation in 2011, the office made findings in favor of the complainants. It found that that complainants suffered prejudices as they were influenced to privatise their pension benefits but were not properly informed about the consequence of the privatization.”

The public protector said as a remedy, the office directed that the Ministers of Public Service and Administration and Finance appoint a task team to review the implementation of the Privatisation Schemes of the former Venda Pension Fund.

The remedial action was to be finalized within six months of the report. However, this did not happen.

“In December 2018, I received a report from Minister Tito Mboweni in which he informed me that the Treasury has conducted its own investigation into the matter, which investigation was, according to the minister, in the spirit of implementing the remedial action,” she added..

Mkhwebane said she has subsequently been informed that Treasury has now resolved to take the report on judicial review.

The Public Protector says she has been left with no choice but to name and shame those who have not effected her remedial action.