DA calls for Gauteng lifestyle audits

ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa. Photo: Dumisani Sibeko

ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa. Photo: Dumisani Sibeko

Published Mar 31, 2015

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Johannesburg - The DA in Gauteng wants lifestyle audits to be conducted on all public representatives serving in the legislature.

The opposition party’s call came after the legislature’s privileges and ethics committee on Friday endorsed a decision not to investigate ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa’s alleged failure to declare certain gifts.

On Friday, the legislature heard and adopted a decision that the integrity commissioner, Dr Ralph Mgijima, would not investigate Hlongwa.

The committee said the matters in question were the main subject of a civil case against Hlongwa.

The case is due to be heard in the High Court sitting in Joburg. A date has not been decided.

The ruling has irked the DA.

In August last year, its spokesman on health, Jack Bloom, wrote a letter to Mgijima, asking him to investigate Hlongwa for allegedly failing to declare several gifts and a trip to Cuba.

In his complaint, Bloom alleges that Hlongwa’s funders were beneficiaries of major Health Department tenders that ran into millions of rand.

He said the gifts were given to Hlongwa while he was Gauteng health MEC.

Bloom and his party had now suggested that a lifestyle audit would be the best option to deal with politicians who do not declare their interests.

“Lifestyle audits should be considered to check whether elected representatives are being truthful when they declare their financial interests every year.

“This highlights the weakness of the system where little verification is done of the financial interests that are declared annually by each member of the legislature.”

Bloom said his referral to Mgijima was based on court documents in which the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Hlongwa had failed to declare his interests.

“At no time did Mr Hlongwa declare to the Gauteng legislature the holiday to Cuba, payments towards his new house at Eccleston Crescent (in Bryanston), various home renovations, rent-free accommodation, cash, spa treatments or other benefits received from Mr Payne, Mr Smidek, Mr Pillay or their various entities.

“Mr Heinz Smidek is the CEO of the Baoki consortium that won the tender from the Gauteng Health Department for a health information system,” Bloom said.

He said the NPA further submitted that Hlongwa and two senior officials “did not declare these benefits because they were well aware they were not innocently given or received, involved contractors to the GDoH (Gauteng Health Department) and would attract attention.”

“The assets of the Baoki Consortium have now been forfeited to the NPA as they conceded that they could not provide a defence concerning the alleged role of Mr Smidek in purchasing Hlongwa’s former home at 16A College Drive in Bryanston for R4.6 million as well as other gratifications to Hlongwa in order for him to improperly influence the award of the tender to Baoki.

“I am disappointed that the integrity commissioner did not ask Hlongwa to reply to any of the allegations,” Bloom said.

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The Star

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