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Mpumalanga VIP has to cough up
26/06/2006 14:05 - (SA)
Sizwe samaYende
Nelspruit - Former Mpumalanga director-general Advocate Stanley Soko will have to repay more than R3.6m that was irregularly paid to a marketing and public relations company in 2003.
The Mpumalanga Select Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), chaired by Christian Party (CP) leader Louis Marneweck, recommended in its report that was tabled before the legislature on Friday that Soko take responsibility for paying R3 656 586-00 to Rainbow Kwanda before the company had done any work.
Rainbow Kwanda was given a R15m contract to build a positive image of the province, which had suffered a series of humiliating scandals under former premier Ndaweni Mahlangu.
Current premier Thabang Makwetla cancelled the contract last year and the taxpayer had already paid R12,3m.
Scopa has already been told that Soko and Mahlangu ignored their own legal advisers when they entered the contract.
Calls for a full report
It has also emerged that the company was paid a further R533 600 64 as VAT, but the invoices had the wrong VAT numbers. Junior officials with no authority to make payments did so, Scopa has established.
Soko declined to comment.
"I have not heard anything about the Scopa report, so I can't comment," Soko said.
However, Soko testified before Scopa earlier, saying he was ill-advised to make a quick payment to Rainbow Kwanda.
Soko has told Scopa that he was not aware that the officials around him were dishonest.
Mpumalanga Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Clive Hatch welcomed the Scopa report.
"We welcome the fact that the investigation and resultant process has finally been completed after almost three years," Hatch said.
"In view of the controversy of this contract, the DA calls on the Office of the Premier to issue a full report on all projects undertaken on behalf of the province such as publications, billboards and videos," he added.
Soko's woes don't end with the irregular payment to Rainbow Kwanda, however.
Evidence given in the trial against former National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) deputy director Cornwell Tshavhungwa, implicates Soko in trying to solicit a R1-million bribe from Rainbow Kwanda.
Tshavhungwa is on trial in the Pretoria High Court on charges of accepting a bribe to stop investigating irregularities in the allocation of the contract.
Soko has dismissed the incriminating evidence and accused the company of being "wounded tigers" because government cancelled their contract.
Former City Press editor Vusi Mona resigned when it transpired that he had shares in Rainbow Kwanda while working for the newspaper.
- African Eye
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