President Cyril Ramaphosa accompanied by his former spokesperson Khusela Diko. (Elmond Jiyane/GCIS)
The Mail & Guardian previously reported that R1-million was paid by Digital Vibes into former presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko’s personal account, instead of into that of her late husband, Thandisizwe. To clarify, the funds were first paid into Royal Bhaca Projects, her husband’s company’s account, before she subsequently benefited from the proceeds.
A cool R1-million from controversial communications company Digital Vibes directly benefited Khusela Diko, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s former spokesperson, according to a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) inquiry.
The Mail & Guardian understands that the SIU sent a letter to the presidency this week. The correspondence alerted Ramaphosa’s office to the fact that interns, who had been working there when Diko was the spokesperson, had alleged that the R1-million paid to her husband’s company, Thandisizwe Diko’s Royal Bhaca Projects, directly benefited her.
Previously the SIU’s report into the R132-million Digital Vibes communications contract with the health department said that R1-million was paid into Thandisizwe Diko’s Royal Bhaca Projects account. The money, according to the SIU, was part of the more than R90.4-million doled out to politically connected people.
Khusela Diko may face criminal charges.
Detailed questions were sent to SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, who responded: “The SIU is currently not in a position to comment on this matter.”
In another matter, Thandisizwe Diko was investigated by the SIU, which found him complicit in R125-million procurement corruption for personal protective equipment to be used in Gauteng as part of the province’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Khusela Diko did not respond to requests for comment.
Acting presidency spokesperson Tyrone Seale referred all questions sent to him to the SIU.
Diko was axed from her job in the presidency, having first been placed on precautionary suspension for months pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing into her conduct. In September the presidency announced that it had completed the disciplinary process regarding Diko’s failure to disclose her interests in certain companies, as required by public service regulations on the disclosure of financial interests.
“Following the disciplinary process, Diko has been served with a written warning for this offence. The action taken by the presidency management was in compliance with a recommendation by the Special Investigating Unit that Diko be disciplined for her failure to disclose certain interests,” Seale said in a statement.
“This recommendation arose from an SIU investigation into the government’s procurement of Covid-19 personal protective equipment. Diko, who is currently on maternity leave, will not return to the position of spokesperson to the president, but to a different position in the public service.”
Diko, who went on “special leave” in July 2020, enjoys a salary estimated at about R1.3-million a year, because she falls under the salary bracket of a chief director. Diko was paid more than R500 000 while on special leave.
She was also ordered to step aside from all positions in the ANC and to desist from speaking on behalf of the party until the SIU investigation had been concluded. She went to the ANC’s appeals committee to fight the judgment against her by the ANC in Gauteng, and won.
In its findings, the ANC’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) overturned her suspension from the party, ruling that the party’s policy had finalised its resolution, which requires disclosure by politically exposed persons and politically connected persons.
Diko had all along claimed that it was her husband, not her, who was in business with the state.
“Consequently, in the absence of policy it is not clear to the NDC on what basis the PIC [provincial integrity committee] found that Diko showed a lack of judgment by not disclosing her husband’s business interests and that non-disclosure had largely contributed to her personal difficulties,” the NDC said in its findings.
“Moreover, having regard to the party-state distinction, it is not clear to the NDC on what basis was Diko obliged to disclose her husband’s business interest to the Gauteng PEC [provincial executive committee] or even to the ANC for that matter.”
Diko has faced multiple blows. Her position as acting deputy director general for content processing and dissemination at the Government Communication and Information System has been terminated.
Government spokesperson Phumla Williams told the Mail & Guardian in February that Diko’s acting position at the GCIS fell away when she went on special leave.
“Diko was never employed by GCIS. She was there on a secondment, attached to one of our vacant posts. Once she was put on special leave that secondment fell away,” Williams said.
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