By Baldwin Ndaba 
1 hour ago
Johannesburg – Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura and the DA are set to wage a real war following accusations by opposition parties implicating the first provincial citizen in a number of corruption scandals involving personal protective equipment (PPE).
Makhura has denied the allegations, labeling them as an orchestrated defamation campaign aimed at removing him from his political office.
Following the appearance of these allegations, the DA under provincial party leader Solly Msimanga approached the Hawks on Thursday and asked the agency to investigate Makhura’s alleged involvement in the saga.
These allegations surfaced in the swearing-in statement of former Health Financial Officer Gauteng Kabelo Lehloenya in a court request to stop the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) from raising its pension as it was linked to the PPE scandal.
In her failed application, Lehloenya, which is suspected of organizing the PPE tender fraud, said: Those suppliers secured their contacts at multiple levels. Some came directly to me. The others came through HOD (Prof. Mkhululi Lukhele who has resigned). Some came from the MEC office (former MEC Dr Bandile Masuku) and others came from the Prime Minister’s office. However there were others from other employees with GDOH and beyond.
But Makhura is adamant that he had never personally given such instruction to Lehloenya. He, however, wrote a letter to SIU asking him to investigate the alleged involvement of 350 of his staff members in the tender fraud.
Despite Makhura protesting his innocence, DA continued on Friday and filed a no-confidence motion against him.
Yesterday the DA urged Provincial Legislature Chairman Gauteng Ntombi Mekgwe to convene an urgent legislature session to debate the motion.
DA chief Mike Moriarty said his party was calling for the immediate removal of Prime Minister Makhura because he has been implicated in a number of PPE corruption scandals.
If this province is serious about providing services to its residents in a clear and transparent manner, the Chairman of the GPL will heed the DA’s call for a special hearing to be held.
It cannot be business as usual when the public bag has been looted by government officials and when tenders for the supply of goods and services are not conducted in an open and transparent manner.
The DA cannot allow a Prime Minister who is involved in corruption to continue in office longer and he must be removed immediately.
The same force that was applied to dismiss MEC Masuku for his involvement in corruption should be applied to Prime Minister Makhura, Moriarty said.
As these allegations boil over, Makhura has offered to appear before the ANC Integrity Committee to clear his name.
I will not allow lies and an orchestrated slander campaign to tarnish my name. For quite some time, I was aware of an orchestrated campaign to tarnish my name with the ultimate goal of removing me from the Gauteng political scene. Quite it is quite clear that I have become an obstacle to realizing some political ambitions and business agendas.
I can say with confidence that the slander campaigns and the lies that support them will not succeed because the truth is more powerful and stubborn than political deception.
I seek no relief other than to liberate the truth from the flame of burning lies, Makhura said.
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