The EFF in the Eastern Cape has asked public protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane to investigate five alleged procurement and appointment irregularities in transport, safety & liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe's office.
DispatchLIVE has seen a letter from Mkhwebane's office confirming receipt of the request to probe Tikana-Gxothiwe.
In their May 20 call for an investigation, the EFF asked Mkhwebane's office to probe:
- Whether public funds were used in the purchase or construction of Mioca Lodge in Cala, which is owned by Tikana-Gxothiwe's daughter. Mioca Lodge made headlines when it was used as an official quarantine site for Covid-positive people, allegedly without processes being followed, earlier this year;
- To investigate the relationship between Mioca Lodge, a certain travel agency and an events management company and Tikana-Gxothiwe, and whether they had been awarded contracts by the government “due to the influence of the MEC”, and without proper procurement processes being followed. The two companies have not been named because they could not be contacted at the time of writing;
- To probe alleged “abuse of power” by the MEC, and an alleged “unlawful appointment” of a scholar transport official;
- To investigate the awarding of tenders for supply of Covid-19 personal protective equipment and sanitisers by Tikana-Gxothiwe's department; and
- Procurement of goods and services more generally by the MEC's department since she assumed office.
Tikana-Gxothiwe's spokesperson Unathi Binqose on Tuesday said his boss was unaware of the EFF's complaint.
“She, however, welcomes any probe by any legal entity, including the public protector, into any claims of abuse of a public office by her.
“She pledges her full co-operation with the investigation,” he said, and declined to comment further, saying only that “any other specific questions relating to these claims" would be "attended to in the probe itself”.
In 2019 the Public Service Commission found the official's appointment to be irregular and ordered that Tikana-Gxothiwe approach the court to set it, and other appointments that were red-flagged, aside.
She and other officials affected are challenging the PSC report.
Mkhwebane's spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe, could not be reached on Tuesday. However, in a letter dated May 25, her office confirmed to the EFF they would investigate the allegations.
EFF provincial chair Yazini Tetyana on Tuesday said they approached Mkhwebane's office after several attempts to get the provincial government to investigate the allegations.
“We understand that Mioca Lodge, said to be owned by her daughter, was not even part of the quarantine sites approved by the provincial and national governments.
“We understand that such lodge being used as a quarantine site was a hijacked arrangement enforced by the MEC and that it received payment from our government prior to it even rendering some services,” charged Tetyana.
He said the events management company had been used to provide tents and catering to a number of the MEC's stakeholder engagement meetings, allegedly without an open and competitive tender process.
While Tetyana said attempts to get Bhisho to investigate allegations against Tikana-Gxothiwe's department had been ignored, premier Oscar Mabuyane in March ordered a full probe by the provincial treasury into the department's affairs.
This was after allegations had been made on social media – some of which were declared as defamatory against Tikana-Gxothiwe by the Grahamstown high court last month.
At the time Mabuyane's spokesperson, Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha, said the investigation would focus on:
- Improper procurement and inflated costs of sanitisers;
- Improper procurement of Bailey bridges;
- Improper conduct in the expenditure for the funeral service of the Centane bus accident victims; and
- Allegations of an improper contract between the department and Mioca Lodge to accommodate employees of the department’s roads section for a period more than a year.
On Tuesday, provincial treasury spokesperson Pumelele Godongwana said the probe was still ongoing.
“We therefore cannot comment up until it has been concluded and a report has been submitted to the premier,” he said.
Last month, judge Gerald Bloem dismissed Tikana-Gxothiwe's lawsuit against UDM leader Bantu Holomisa and found the facts of the case did indeed suggest — as stated by Holomisa — that Tikana-Gxothiwe had an interest in the Mioca guest house.
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