Parliament has accepted the recommendations of the auditor-general that the secretary of Parliament, Zingile Dingani, should be disciplined for using a R186 000 salary advance to build a security wall at his home, its spokesman Luzuko Jacobs says.
Disciplinary processes relating to both Dingani and Parliament’s chief financial officer, Leslie Mondo, who instructed Parliament’s finance department to give the advance to Dingani, were “under way”, Jacobs said. He would not provide further details.
The AG submitted a report to Parliament in May, following an investigation into whether any law or policy had been contravened by the salary advance.
The investigation was conducted in terms of the Public Audit Act. The report found that Mondo had instructed the finance department to pay Wise Builders R186 000 to build a wall around Dingani’s Panorama residence in December last year, without obtaining written confirmation of approval from the executive authority, and despite the fact that Parliament had not approved a draft policy on salary advances.
National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu and National Council of Provinces chairman Mninwa Mahlangu approved the salary advance after Dingani had requested the executive authority’s approval. However, the report found that Dingani had misled them by claiming that Parliament’s policies provided for granting salary advances.
In its conclusions, the AG’s report said evidence existed that Dingani had experienced security breaches at his home since 2007, and that Parliament had requested that security at his home be strengthened. The State Security Agency had recommended that a fence be erected around the home, and that the office used for official purposes, and where sensitive documents were handled, should be secured.
“Although the draft policy on salary and voluntary savings advances was not approved by the Speaker, the secretary indicated in his memo of December 1, 2011 to the executive authority that policies of Parliament made provision for the granting of salary advances,” the report said.
“The request for the advance was submitted and approved. This was not in accordance with procedures for submissions to the Speaker.
“Disciplinary action should be considered against the secretary for incorrectly indicating to the executive authority that policies of Parliament made provision for the granting of salary advances, while the policy was in draft format,” the AG recommended.
“Disciplinary action should be considered against the chief financial officer for issuing an instruction to the finance department without obtaining written confirmation from the executive authority, and for allowing repayment terms which are not consistent with the previous practice.”
Jacobs said he would provide an update “in due course”, once disciplinary processes relating to Dingani and Mondo were complete.
Dingani has persistently refused to comment on the matter.
Political Bureau