Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
The Eastern Cape’s First Lady, Nambita Stofile, is running a black empowerment venture that has won a string of government contracts in the province.
Stofile has been a director of Masakhane Security for the past two years. Her husband, Makhenkesi Stofile, has been Eastern Cape premier since 1996.
Nambita Stofile was registered as a director of Masakhane in 1999 and runs the company with two other directors, Nkosinanti “Ice” Kuluta and Jens Heimberg.
Kuluta founded the company in 1996 but only registered it in 1998.
The company currently has a number of government contracts for periods varying from a few days to 12 months. According to the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works, Masakhane is supplying services to the departments of health, roads, public works, sports, arts and culture and local government and housing.
The Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works said this week Masakhane was first appointed to provide security services to the provincial government in 1996. The department’s permanent secretary, D Mafu, said during the current financial year Masakhane is providing security services to more than four provincial departments. Mafu said his department is aware “of the fact that the premier’s wife has recently become a director of the company”.
Mafu said Masakhane was awarded the work “either on tender or on the basis of three quotations”.
Premier Stofile said his wife, Kuluta and public works officials assured him that Masakhane did not receive government contracts after his wife joined the company. Kuluta said the company only received one government contract last year.
“I am angry with these people and their confusion,” said the premier. “They told me Masakhane did not get government contracts since my wife joined. They said all they had were contracts which were awarded before she joined, and that they were being renewed. They must answer this question: ‘Did Masakhane get government contracts after my wife joined?’ and they must say which ones are those.”
Kuluta dismissed allegations that Masakhane was being given preferential treatment by the provincial government because of the involvement of Nambita Stofile. He said the allegations were the works of “bitter white-dominated security companies operating in the Eastern Cape”.
“The amount of work we got during Mrs Stofile’s time … cannot be attributed to her involvement in the company,” he said. “There is nothing sinister about this woman’s involvement. We have even had cancellations in her presence, but even that is not attributed to her.”
Makhenkesi Stofile echoed Kuluta’s sentiments: “This is just racial prejudice. Her membership in that company is not secret and the essence of it is that it does not have anything to do with me. She is an independent citizen and has a right to start her own business, and it is not a crime for anyone to have spouses and friends who have connections in government.”
Richard Calland of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa’s parliamentary information and monitoring service said the executive ethics code requires the premier to disclose the financial interests of his spouse and children. Calland said the code was designed to prevent “conflicts of interest and undue pressure on government officials”.
Stofile said he has disclosed his wife’s interest in Masakhane Security.