Beleaguered former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge has not been paid her salary for August and has been asked to pay the department R312 000 for an ”unauthorised” trip to Spain.
Madlala-Routledge was fired for her inability to work as part of the ”collective” and for undertaking the trip against President Thabo Mbeki’s orders.
Health Department director general Thamsanqa Mseleku told Madlala-Routledge in a letter dated August 16 that the salary payable to her for the period August 1 to 9 is R8 478,82, but that it will not be paid before an ”outstanding discussion” takes place, as she received an advance of R8 100 for subsistence and travel for the Spain trip.
Madlala-Routledge has been asked to repay R312 000 for her trip to Spain, which was unauthorised by the president, the Health Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
”The director general has sent a letter to the former deputy minister requesting the repayment of R312 000. It relates to the flight costs,” said health spokesperson Sibani Mngadi.
Mngadi said the original package organised for the trip through a travel agency was R160 000 for the three tickets for Madlala-Routledge, her son and an adviser.
”Instead of coming back on that package, they then got different tickets to come back, which then doubled the amount.”
On Friday, the Star newspaper reported that defence secretary January Masilela confirmed that the Department of Defence also wants Madlala-Routledge to pay back R116 357, an amount dating back to when she was deputy defence minister three years ago.
Some members of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), along with members of the Aids Law Project, have set up a Defend Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge Fund to help fight the dismissal and assist to pay the costs of any action against her.
The two organisations have called on 40 individuals to donate R1 000 each to raise R40 000, more or less the equivalent of a ministerial salary.
TAC’s Zackie Achmat said the campaign to help Madlada-Routledge was not yet public, but was being carried out by a few private individuals.
”If the government persists,” he warned, ”we’ll have to see how much is being claimed through audit accounts and we’ll get the public to participate. We want the government to see that we’ll support a minister as long as she is dedicated to her job and is not corrupt.”