Outgoing Eastern Cape director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu and heads of departments snubbed crucial portfolio committee meetings where they were meant to account to MPLs, according to ANC MPL Zinziswa Rabe.
In one instance, nine HoDs were a no-show and neither submitted apologies nor sent senior officials in their place, writes Rabe, who chairs the standing committee on special programmes, in a report she tabled in the legislature on Thursday.
However, Mbina-Mthembu hit back during an interview, saying when she was not at meetings, she had been meeting with the Special Investigative Unit to answer for the Nelson Mandela funeral scandal.
An irritated Mbina-Mthembu said “they must leave me alone and go to the SIU to ask where I was on those dates”.
“It's good that you called me on the day that Mandela died. I was answering on the Mandela funeral on things I didn't do. I've written to [premier Oscar Mabuyane] and explained to him where I was.
“I wrote to them [the committee]. What do they want me to do? There were only two meetings that I remember that were supposed to have [me sit] with them. First of all, the deputy director-general is responsible for that [meeting with the committee].”
Rabe said HoDs at Cogta, economic development, health, provincial treasury, transport, the legislature, rural development & agrarian reform and sports, recreation, arts & culture were guilty of missing the meetings.
“The director-general at the office of the premier has not attended a single meeting of the committee ever since the start of the term,” Rabe's report says.
A November 1 sitting had to be called off after all the HoDs failed to attend, Rabe says. The accounting officers were also not attending oversight meetings.
“The office of the premier must ensure that heads of departments take the special programmes committee and the special programmes unit of their departments seriously by also prioritising oversight meetings,” the report reads.
Rabe details how the OTP is failing to meet its targets of employing people with disabilities and women into senior management positions.
She says the OTP had failed to reach the set target of 50% women representation in senior management positions.
It achieved 43% in that regard and 1% against a targeted 2% representation of employees with special needs. Furthermore, the provincial government was in crisis without sign language translators and communicators at police stations across the province.
Rabe said government buildings were not wheelchair friendly and there were few ablution facilities adapted for people in wheelchairs.
soyisom@dispatch.co.za
DG and HoDs accused of snubbing legislature
Image: File
Outgoing Eastern Cape director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu and heads of departments snubbed crucial portfolio committee meetings where they were meant to account to MPLs, according to ANC MPL Zinziswa Rabe.
In one instance, nine HoDs were a no-show and neither submitted apologies nor sent senior officials in their place, writes Rabe, who chairs the standing committee on special programmes, in a report she tabled in the legislature on Thursday.
However, Mbina-Mthembu hit back during an interview, saying when she was not at meetings, she had been meeting with the Special Investigative Unit to answer for the Nelson Mandela funeral scandal.
An irritated Mbina-Mthembu said “they must leave me alone and go to the SIU to ask where I was on those dates”.
“It's good that you called me on the day that Mandela died. I was answering on the Mandela funeral on things I didn't do. I've written to [premier Oscar Mabuyane] and explained to him where I was.
“I wrote to them [the committee]. What do they want me to do? There were only two meetings that I remember that were supposed to have [me sit] with them. First of all, the deputy director-general is responsible for that [meeting with the committee].”
Rabe said HoDs at Cogta, economic development, health, provincial treasury, transport, the legislature, rural development & agrarian reform and sports, recreation, arts & culture were guilty of missing the meetings.
“The director-general at the office of the premier has not attended a single meeting of the committee ever since the start of the term,” Rabe's report says.
A November 1 sitting had to be called off after all the HoDs failed to attend, Rabe says. The accounting officers were also not attending oversight meetings.
“The office of the premier must ensure that heads of departments take the special programmes committee and the special programmes unit of their departments seriously by also prioritising oversight meetings,” the report reads.
Rabe details how the OTP is failing to meet its targets of employing people with disabilities and women into senior management positions.
She says the OTP had failed to reach the set target of 50% women representation in senior management positions.
It achieved 43% in that regard and 1% against a targeted 2% representation of employees with special needs. Furthermore, the provincial government was in crisis without sign language translators and communicators at police stations across the province.
Rabe said government buildings were not wheelchair friendly and there were few ablution facilities adapted for people in wheelchairs.
soyisom@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos