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The district attorney wrote to the Treasury on Monday to determine whether Finance Minister Tito Mboweni consulted with Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula in terms of the Defense Act before she and the delegation left South Africa.
FILE: Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula at a press conference on March 16, 2020 about the government’s plans to curb the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa. Image: EWN
CAPE TOWN – The Democratic Alliance (DA) is still dissatisfied with the way the Presidency handled a controversial trip to Zimbabwe in which a delegation from the African National Congress (ANC) took a military plane.
The district attorney wrote to the National Treasury on Monday to determine whether Finance Minister Tito Mboweni consulted with Defense Minister and military veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula in terms of the Defense Act before she and the delegation left. South Africa.
He sparked outrage at the ruling party accused of abusing state resources. The ANC promised to return the money after initially denying that the trip amounted to an abuse of state resources.
The ANC was expected to pay R105,000 for the trip, which cost more than R30,000.
When President Cyril Ramaphosa asked for a report on the trip, the party changed its tune. Although Mapisa-Nqakula was publicly censured by the president and withdrew her pay for several months, the district attorney was still not happy.
The party wants to know what measures the Treasury would take, if any, against the minister and the ANC.
The DA deputy and the party’s defense spokesman, Kobus Marais, said they were asking the Treasury if it was involved and approved of Mapisa-Nqakula’s calculations on the cost of the trip.
Marais cited the Defense Law and emphasized that it clearly states that the defense minister must first consult the finance minister before allowing the carriage of anyone other than an officer or employee of the State aboard a South African Air Force aircraft. (SAAF).
“However, neither of the two reports presented by Minister Mapisa-Nqakula to President Cyril Ramaphosa makes reference to any consultation with the Finance Minister. If, as we suspect, Minister Mboweni was not consulted, then the use of the SAAF aircraft by the ANC delegation results in irregular, wasteful and unauthorized spending, ”Marais said in a statement.
He added: “The district attorney wants to know what action the Treasury will take against Minister Mapisa-Nqakula and the flagrant and unauthorized abuse of state resources by the ANC.
“In addition, in terms of costs, the Prosecutor’s Office wants to know if the Ministry of Finance was consulted by Minister Mapisa-Nqakula to determine a reasonable amount that the ANC should reimburse for abusing state resources.”
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