By Nathi Olifant
Hardly a week into his new portfolio as Minister of Transport, S'bu Ndebele is in the midst of political controversy after accepting, among other gifts, a R1.1 million vehicle from a group of contractors with contracts worth more than R400-million in his department.
Vukuzakhe contractors threw a farewell party for Ndebele at the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, apparently honouring the former KwaZulu-Natal premier for his contribution to creating a platform for small contractors to emerge.
Apart from other gifts that included cattle, Ndebele drove away in a new Mercedes-Benz S500 worth R1 140 000, according to present retail figures. The DA called for him to return the car.
However, Ndebele came out with his guns blazing, defending the gesture saying that the gift did not
amount to any conflict of interest because it had been planned a while ago.
- Read more about the car on motoring.co.za.
- Read the full story in the Mercury