De Lille Responds To Allegations Of Corruption
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia De Lille, is facing two fresh allegations of corruption after former employees accused her of abusing her authority in awarding tenders for real estate management and media monitoring.
Former deputy director-general for Real Estate Management Services (REMS) in De Lille’s department, Mahalingum “Dhaya” Govender detailed two instances of tenders being illegally awarded.
“On 28 June 2019, the minister addressed a letter to me in which she instructed me to appoint a particular company specialising in global superior facility and property management for a period of 3 months,” Govender alleged, according to .
“I was surprised by this unlawful instruction. The instruction was a clear interference by the Minister in the administration and supply chain management processes of the department.
“On 16 July 2019, the Minister wrote me another letter in which, she requested me to appoint Oryx Multi Media Company; on a three months basis with the start date of 1 August 2019 to amongst others undertake the daily monitoring of current affairs.
“The profile of Oryx Multi Media was attached to the letter from the Minister. This was yet another unlawful instruction of the Minister’s interference in the Supply Chain Management processes of the Department. I declined to appoint the company as instructed.”
Govender, who was dismissed in December last year says that De Lille victimised him after he refused to appoint the companies. He is also backing suspended director-general, Advocate Sam Vukela in his ongoing battle with De Lille. Vukela levelled similar allegations against De Lille regarding unlawful instructions that resulted in irregular payments for the funerals of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Zola Skweyiya and Billy Modise.
De Lille, when asked for a response to the allegations, said that they are part of a coordinated effort by her former party, the DA to damage her reputation.
“It is a pity that people see intervention as interference because the looting is being disturbed. There is a difference between intervention and interference. I am not surprised by the fight back campaign against me because people are afraid that they will be confirmed as having looted the state’s coffers. Ministers are always told that the buck stops with us and we are questioned when we do not act. I have now acted as this is my duty and it is what the public expects from me.
“The buck stops with me and I want to be held accountable. The more the public holds me accountable, the harder I will work to clean up. I will stop at nothing. I am on a mission to clean up the Department,” De Lille responded .
DA MP Samantha Graham-Maré, the party spokesperson on public works, denied De Lille’s claims that the allegations are part of a plot by the DA.
“These allegations are not being made by us. They are being made by senior officials in the Department she has been tasked to provide policy direction to. The allegations are significant,” Graham-Mare said.
Originally published at https://essentialmillennial.com on September 21, 2020.
