Durban - The speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, Nontembeko Boyce, is alleged to have opted to use her personal car for official duties in order “to claim for fuel consumption three times more than that which was used” .
Boyce allegedly insisted on using her own car even when the official car which was used by her predecessor was still in good condition.
The allegations are contained in a whistleblower’s letter which was sent to the official opposition in the province, the IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party). The party then penned an open letter to Boyce, asking her to respond to the allegations.
Boyce, a senior ANC member in the province as she serves in the party’s provincial executive committee, was elected to office in May last year.
The IFP’s chief whip, Blessed Gwala, said they decided to take the open letter route after they were ignored by Boyce. Gwala said like all government departments, the legislature must account for money spent and he threatened to report the matter to the Public Protector and Premier’s Office for further investigation within 21 days.
“The report claims that upon assuming your duties in the legislature as speaker, you refused to use vehicles that were used by your predecessor, which were still within the kilometres recommended by the policy.
“Can the Speaker refute the allegations that she uses her own vehicle in order to claim for fuel consumption three times more than that which was used?” Gwala demanded.
Moreover, Gwala said the whistleblower made allegations of corruption and nepotism. In one alleged incident, Boyce is alleged to have appointed an individual to compile a report about the work of the legislature post-1994 at the cost of R3m.
“One must allude to the fact that this Office is well-known for its shoddy operations, as it once appointed a single person to compile a futile document on the post-1994 era in the legislature. A whopping R3 million in taxpayers’ money went down the drain,” Gwala alleged.
Other allegations levelled against Boyce are that she has turned the office into her personal fiefdom and into an ANC zone where workers live in perpetual fear of being victimised.
Boyce’s office did not respond to the allegations.
Political Bureau