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Newly appointed social development minister Dina Pule says she has reflected, apologised and “paid a big price”, and believes “Christian” South Africans have forgiven her for previous scandals.
The returning minister was dismissed in 2013 by then president Jacob Zuma after being implicated in a controversy involving the alleged improper channeling of state contracts to her then partner and his associates.
Back in cabinet under President Cyril Ramaphosa, Pule has broken her silence on the saga, describing it as a period of personal reckoning that kept her out of executive office for more than a decade.
“Some time ago, I did let down South Africans. And for that I did pay a big price,” she said.
Listen to what Pule said:
Pule said her removal from office, resignation from parliament and subsequent withdrawal from public life forced her into a period of “introspection” where she confronted her mistakes and their consequences.
“I went back home and I took some time to deal with my own introspection,” she said, adding she used a rare moment in parliament to apologise.
“I begged to be given an opportunity to speak to the people of South Africa and I said I’m sorry.”
She said the apology was sincere and rooted in an understanding that she may have “erred” while carrying out her duties at the time.
“I believed people of South Africa will forgive me for that. And I believe they have.
“We are a people. We always say we are a Christian country and I want to believe people have forgiven me,” she said.
Pule said the 13-year gap before her return to cabinet has allowed her to grow and learn from her mistakes.
“I’m a human being. I’m fallible, I’m not perfect, but we learn from our mistakes from time to time,” she said in the GCIS interview.
She pledged to prioritise rebuilding public trust in her new role, stressing accountability would define her tenure.
I went back home and I took some time to deal with my own introspection. I begged to be given an opportunity to speak to the people of South Africa and I said I’m sorry.
— Newly appointed social development minister Dina Pule
“The trust of the people is what matters most. I am going to do my job as given by the president and as allowed by the people of South Africa.”
Her reappointment has sparked debate about political accountability.
TimesLIVE
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