Justin Arenstein
Ousted Mpumalanga MEC for Local Government and Traffic Fish Mahlalela was axed just hours before he was scheduled to hand evidence implicating senior provincial African National Congress leaders in tender fraud to National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka.
The evidence included documents and audio tapes allegedly proving that ANC provincial treasurer Jerry Ngomane and various other senior executive committee members were party to systematic tender fraud at the Lowveld Escarpment District Council (LEDC).
Mahlalela earlier attempted to probe the allegations by creating the Mojapelo commission, but was stopped when Mpumalanga Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu threatened a cabinet reshuffle and refused to endorse the commission.
He also voiced concern that the findings of the Mkhatswa commission into alleged multimillion fraud by ANC members at the Highveld Ridge Council in Secunda were being suppressed by Mahlangu’s office, while another commission into similar abuses at the Highveld District Council were stalled following objections by senior ANC members.
Mahlalela has been unavailable for comment since his axing on Tuesday, but the aborted Ngcuka meeting appears to have been set up in defiance of Mahlangu’s orders to deal with the allegations internally.
Mahlangu has repeatedly refused to say why he sacked Mahlalela, but unsourced reports attributed to senior officials contend Mahlalela was axed for refusing to follow orders.
Mahlangu’s representative, Sefako Nyaka, also refused to explain the dismissal on Thursday. He conceded in a statement, however, that Mahlangu could not ignore the concerns of a large number of people who viewed the commissions as “some sort of witch-hunt”.
Nyaka said Mahlangu had therefore requested the national ANC legal department to help identify new commissioners. The Mkhatswa commission findings will be released on Monday.
Nyaka did not explain why Mahlangu had approached the ANC for advice on a government probe into alleged irregularities by senior ANC leaders.
Local ANC representatives refused to comment and national representative Smuts Ngonyama said he would first have to investigate the matter before commenting.
Mahlalela is himself not above reproach, however. His continued close relationship with self-confessed fraudster and disgraced former provincial ANC Youth League secretary James Nkambule has repeatedly undermined his credibility. The relationship initially saw Mahlalela accept gifts from suspended Mpumalanga Parks Board chief Alan Gray at the height of the R1,3- billion promissory notes scandal in 1998, when Mahlalela was first appointed as the province’s environmental affairs MEC.
Nkambule and Gray were confidants at the time, with Nkambule serving as a parks board member. He has since been charged, along with Gray, on 77 embezzlement dockets after the two allegedly used a network of front companies to siphon at least R2,3- million from state coffers.
The cosy relationship outraged then premier Mathews Phosa and ended in Mahlalela’s dismissal from the cabinet. He was, however, reappointed to the less important sports portfolio after the ANC’s national leadership intervened.
Mahlalela also featured prominently alongside Nkambule in the bitter internal faction fighting that saw Phosa deposed as premier and provincial ANC chair. He retained his cabinet post, how- ever, and used it to hire Nkambule as his personal assistant, despite ANC rulings that the controversial youth leader should not hold public office until he had been “reformed”.
Nkambule was finally sacked three weeks ago on Mahlangu’s instructions but is demanding an R867 000 severance package and appears to have Mahlalela’s support after he described him as “an asset” and gifted in his dismissal letter.