ANCWL defends Manana

2003-09-01 20:13

Cape Town - Opposition parties renewed their calls for action against former Mpumalanga health MEC Sibongile Manana on Monday.

Mpumalanga DA leader Clive Hatch said it was ironic that on the very day Manana was fired as MEC, the ANC Women's League elected her as a member of its national executive committee (NEC).

The ANCWL's newly-elected president, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, should demonstrate her commitment to making the league "a united force that is capable of leading the women of our country", by taking immediate steps to remove Manana from this body, he said.

On Sunday, Mpumalanga premier Ndaweni Mahlangu announced he was reshuffling MECs with effect from September 1, mainly to rectify instances of mismanagement and "alleged wrongdoing" discovered by a series of forensic audits.

Among others, Manana was moved from health to become MEC for sports, recreation, arts and culture.

ANCWL secretary-general Bathabile Dlamini said Manana was elected by women of South Africa, who felt she was capable of leading them. She Manana's new portfolio "does not mean she cannot lead the women".

DA 'rubbishing' ANC leaders

"It is consistent with DA leadership to rubbish the ANC leaders and we are not surprised that DA has made this call."

Ndaweni also announced that Hussain Verachia, the province's deputy director general, would become the new head of the health department, while the incumbent Riena Charles would move from the department to become the deputy director general in the office of the premier.

Hatch said two forensic audits found evidence that Manana and Charles had presided over a department where there were many abuses designed to benefit relatives and close associates.

These included grossly mismanaging the province's R19m HIV/Aids budget, artificially "padded" equipment orders that resulted in fruitless expenditure of R13.7m and tampering with tenders.

"Surely the women of South Africa deserve better role models?" Hatch said.

Why is she still in government?

New National Party health spokesperson Kobus Gous said the NNP had been asking for Manana's resignation since the beginning of the year, but to no avail.

"It seems the premier of Mpumalanga is either unable to get rid of her or unwilling to.

"He admitted that the department of health in Mpumalanga is in serious disarray and that there are cases of gross mismanagement and neglect in Manana's department," Gous said.

Therefore, the way he chose to address the situation "absolutely baffles" the NNP.

"Firstly the premier placed the department under curatorship in May this year (with the MEC and her DG still safely in their posts) and now he chooses to shift these two people to other departments.

"This surely cannot be the way in which government chooses to handle people allegedly guilty of mismanagement in the public service.

"Does the premier honestly think that the same people, only in other departments, will perform better than before?

"It has been clear for some time now that Sibongile Manana is unable to run a provincial government department adequately."

So the question remains: "Why is she still in government?," Gous asked.

- SAPA