DA requests SAPS to investigate Dina Pule

I have today asked the police to investigate Minister of Communications Dina Pule as well as Gugu Duda, Chief Financial Officer at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC); Phosane Mngqibisa, Head of Khemano Events; and Lulama Makhobo, Group Chief Executive Officer of the SABC.

Section 34(1) of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004, stipulates that any person who holds a position of authority and who knows or ought reasonably to have known or suspected that any other person has committed an offence has a duty to report it.

The charges relate to the alleged corruption in appointments made at the Department of Communications and its entities.

On 24 March 2013, the Sunday Times front page article "Fire her now, Mr President" alleged that:

• It had "uncovered evidence of an internal audit showing that Mngqibisa engineered getting friends and relatives on the boards of the Post Office, Sentech, Usasa and the SABC with the full knowledge of [Dina] Pule",
• "Phosane Mngqibisa engineered getting friends and family appointed onto the boards of the Post Office, Sentech, USSASA and the SABC",
• "Mngqibisa engineered the appointment of his close relative, Lulama Makhobo, to the post of SABC CEO as well as one of his close friends, Gugu Duda, as Chief Financial Officer",
• The appointment of Gugu Duda was a ‘done deal': Malebane alleged that "by now the discussions are finalised and considered a ‘done deal' with DP [Dina Pule] having met GD [Gugu Duda] and confirmed to her that she is her choice and that all that needs to happen is to endorse this through formal board interviews",
• In the report, Dina Pule claimed that she only became involved in the appointments "after the SABC board had completed the search and interviews for suitable candidates".

Offences in respect to corrupt activities relating to members of legislative authority, is determined in Section 7 of the Corruption Act. Members of legislative authority are guilty of corruption if:

7.(1) Any

(a) member of the legislative authority who, directly or indirectly, accepts or agrees or offers to accept any gratification from any other person, whether for the benefit of himself or herself or for the benefit of another person; or

(b) person who, directly or indirectly, gives or agrees or offers to give any gratification to a member of the legislative authority, whether for the benefit of that member or for the benefit of another person.

Corruption cannot be tolerated at any level and any warranted suspicion of corruption of public representatives should be fully investigated by SAPS.

Statement issued by Marian Shinn MP, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, April 10 2013

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