President Jacob Zuma is waiting for a response from Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka to allegations that he misused public funds, the presidency said on Sunday.
“We stress … that minister Shiceka remains innocent of the allegations unless proven otherwise,” spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.
The Sunday Times reported that Shiceka was building a new house in his home village of Ingquza Hill in the Eastern Cape.
Ingquza Hill was part of one of the poorest districts in the province. Community members protested this week against poor service delivery in the area.
The newspaper said it had established that:
- Municipal trucks had been laid on to ferry water to the building site for the new house — while no water was delivered to most of the community.
- A R32-million tarred road was being routed past Shiceka’s house — while thousands of residents in the area did not have dirt roads to reach their villages.
- Shiceka’s house would be among the first to receive electricity.
Earlier this week Shiceka became the first minister since 1994 to be probed by Parliament’s ethics committee.
The Public Protector has been asked to investigate his spending of R335 000 on a trip to Switzerland to visit his girlfriend in prison, R640 000 in one year to stay at the One&Only hotel in Cape Town, and R160 000 in eight months flying his extended family around the country.
Shiceka admitted to the paper last week to spending more than R55 000 for one night at the One&Only.
“What is wrong with that,” he asked.
“Every other hotel was full.”
“The ministerial handbook allows it,” he said. – Sapa