ANC MUST MAKE LIFESTYLE AUDITS PUBLIC

All members of the ANC in the Gauteng Legislature have agreed to undergo lifestyle audits but there is no indication that these will be made public.

This information was disclosed today by Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy, who was replying to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature on behalf of Premier David Makhura in his absence.

I had asked the Premier whether he would request the ANC’s Chief Whip Brian Hlongwa to undergo a lifestyle audit in order to ascertain how he could afford a R7.2 million house that is subject to an asset forfeiture claim.

This relates to the probe by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) which has been investigating more than R1 billion lost in alleged corruption when Hlongwa was MEC for Health from 2006 to 2009.

Creecy said that the Premier had met with the SIU concerning all outstanding cases involving the provincial government but could not give further details as it might jeopardize the investigations.

She said that all ANC members of the Legislature had agreed to undergo lifestyle audits but ducked my question as to whether these would be made public.

I welcome these lifestyle audits but they will be meaningless unless they are made public and action taken in suspicious cases.

The ANC’s Integrity Committee has proved to be toothless and useless, and has yet to take action against former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu for the Life Esidimeni tragedy.

Corruption will only be vanquished when real action is taken against implicated individuals, rather than empty gestures.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 27 March 2018