Johannesburg -
Communication Minister Dina Pule has welcomed the Public Protector's decision to probe a potential conflict of interest in the hosting of the ICT Indaba.
“The minister has instructed her staff to co-operate fully with the Public Protector,” Pule's department said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The minister is committed to clean governance. She requested the office of the Auditor General to help the department and its companies improve their adherence to corporate governance.”
However, Pule's department said it had not yet received notification from the office of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela about the investigation.
Madonsela's office confirmed the investigation on Monday.
The indaba was a conference hosted by the department of communications in June in an attempt to put Africa on the global information and communications technology (ICT) map.
The department claimed afterwards that partnerships with the United Nation's International Telecommunication Union and various sponsors attested to the success of the event.
Questions have since been raised about the financial involvement of Pule's “romantic partner” Phosane Mngqibisa. - Sapa