BALDWIN NDABA
Gauteng transport head Benedicta Monama has hit back at her boss, accusing MEC Ismail Vadi of “misrepresenting facts to suit his personal agenda”.
She says the MEC is trying to “exercise his powers to get rid of those who are not favourable to him” and using members of the Gauteng Legislature, the media “and all other resources” to find fault with her.
Monama has also queried the Auditor-General (A-g) report, which effectively led to her being forced to go on special leave last month.
She is facing possible disciplinary or criminal charges, according to Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, after her boss and Finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe accused her of unlawfully authorising a R3 billion controversial tender.
Mokonyane gave her two weeks to respond to allegations related to another contentious tender, worth R183m. At the centre of both tenders is the company West Point Trading, which was contracted to manage driving learner testing centres.
In her response to Mokonyane, Monama questioned Vadi’s motive and said the MEC sought to cast aspersions on her credibility.
“This negative aspersion is designed to create (an) atmosphere in order to persuade the honourable members of the legislature to exercise discretion to grant the Honourable MEC (permission) to charge me, and/or refuse to renew my contract,” Monama said.
She is serving the last month of her contract.
Monama said Vadi did not consider that the A-G’s conclusions relied on verbal submissions without documentary evidence.
Vadi had initially bypassed Mokonyane, according to Monama, when he asked the A-G last year to conduct investigations in his department. Vadi was appointed MEC on November 2 last year.
“It transpired that due process to engage the services of the Auditor-General was not properly followed, hence, on or around January 10, 2011, Mr Ismail Vadi approached me with a letter in his possession and informed me that the letter was requested by the Honourable Premier, knowingly so that same was not correct based on such misrepresentation by the Honourable Member (Vadi), I then signed the letter without having gone into details of the content.”
Monama’s lawyer, Godfrey Machimana, yesterday said that “the leakage of her response to The Star was a clear indication of a political game played by certain officials in government”.
Mokonyane’s spokesman, Dumisani Zulu, said the premier was still awaiting legal advice on what action to take on the Monama matter. She told The Star in an interview that she would act decisively against her former comrade.
Vadi’s spokeswoman, Octavia Mamabolo, said the MEC would not react regarding a document that had not been officially sent to his office for comment.