The Democratic Alliance welcomes the ruling by Advocate Jules Browde that it was wrong for Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe to have worn an ANC t-shirt on an official visit to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

This ruling arises from a complaint I laid with Browde, the Gauteng Legislature's Integrity Commissioner, following Ntombi's visit to the hospital on Sunday 6 March to show off the new equipment there.

According to Browde: "when an MEC  is on his/her official duties he/she is the representative of all the members of the legislature and consequently all the parties they represent. It is, therefore, in my opinion, improper for an MEC in those circumstances to indicate publicly that he/she represents a particular party in carrying out his/her duties."

In Browde's report on the matter he says that Mekgwe told him that she was aware of his previous ruling on this issue and had packed a change of clothing to replace the ANC t-shirt which she used to attend voter registration in Carletonville after driving from her home in Nigel. She discovered after she left Carletonville that she had inadvertently failed to put the clothing in her car, so had no option but to wear it at the hospital.

Browde concludes: "In the circumstances and particularly because the MEC was and is aware of her duty in terms of my ruling, that she agrees with and accepts it, I recommend that no further steps need to be taken."

Whilst Mekgwe suffers no sanction, it is important that the principle of separating party and state is reaffirmed in this ruling.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Caucus Leader, Gauteng Legislature, April 5 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter