Johannesburg - Former Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Molebatsi Bopape is yet to be charged almost a year later after she was accused of corruption.
While Bopape was still waiting in abeyance for formal charges against her and a date to appear before provincial integrity commissioner Ralph Mgijima, the latter has less than three months left in office as an integrity commissioner in Gauteng.
On Tuesday this week, Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s speaker Ntombi Mekgwe announced that Mgijima’s term of office ends in November.
A multiparty ad-hoc committee was due to be set up for the process of nomination, short-listing recommending of suitable candidate for the integrity commissioner before the end of November.
In November last year, Makhura referred Bopape to the integrity commissioner after a certain faction within the Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation Department accused her of having influenced the awarding of a R10m security tender to a company of her choice.
The faction also accused her of having spent more than R300 000 on security upgrades at her house in Pretoria. During that announcement, Makhura also instructed the MEC for Finance and e-Government, Barbara Creecy, to institute a forensic investigation to probe the allegations against Bopape.
The probe against her came soon after she exposed the then head of department Namhla Siqaza of allegedly trying to bribe senior auditor-general officials to give her department a clean audit outcome report for 2014/2015.
At the time, the A-G had raised concerns around the appointment of contractors - who did not qualify to obtain tenders worth millions of rand - because they scored lower points than the supposed “successful tenderers.”
Some of these contractors, according to the A-G, were not even registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
One of the contractors, which allegedly scored the lowest points, was awarded a R256-million to produce archives for the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in Gauteng. The same R256-million lucrative contract was awarded on the day that Bopape was appointed as MEC in May 2014.
While in office, Bopape pierced together all the evidence linking Siqaza to unbecoming conduct, including affidavits linking her to bribery attempts and handed them to the premier.
Due to that incriminatory evidence, Makhura placed Siqaza on suspension in October last year.
The case against her was still pending while her contract is due on January 11 next year.
It was after the suspension of Siqaza that a faction linked to her, also began making allegations of corruption against Bopape which led to Makhura shifting her from Sports to the Department of Social Development. Makhura also referred the allegations against her to the integrity commissioner.
On February 2 this year, Bopape was officially removed as an MEC.
On Saturday, Bopape told The Sunday Independent that she had not yet been given an opportunity to state her side of the story to the outgoing integrity commissioner except for receiving an SMS - three weeks ago - asking her to visit Mgijima’s office, in which she was told that he “he only needs 5 minutes of your time”.
“I went to the office of the integrity commissioner on several occasions wanting to know when I would have a time to give him my side of the story. Up until now, I’ve have never sat with him to clear my name against all allegations against me.
“This is despite the fact that these allegations were aimed at destroying me. I want to have an opportunity to present evidence showing that I am innocent,” Bopape said.
Contacted for comment on the status of Bopape’s case, Mgijima said the matter was still pending.
He said he undertook various investigations against members of the legislature.
“It is also necessary to highlight that the achievements of my office are not necessarily limited to completing investigations. In executing the mandate of the office of the integrity commissioner, I have also facilitated a process of legislative and policy review,” he said.
He said he had already completed the review of the code of conduct for members of the legislature.
“Since my appointment, I have also created capacity by setting up and staffing an office to ensure sustained implementation of the ethical framework for members,” Mgijima said.
Makhura’s spokesperson, Phumla Sekhonyane, said their office would not comment on the status of Bopape’s case because the matter was still before Mgijima.
“The disciplinary process of the HOD for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (Siqaza) is being handled by an independent presiding officer,” Sekhonyane said.
Sunday Independent