Fired ministers still earning big bucks

2011-11-08 08:13

Johannesburg - Sacked ministers Sicelo Shiceka and Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde were still earning R840 000 a year salaries as ANC MPs, Beeld newspaper reported on Tuesday.

African National Congress caucus spokesperson Moloto Mothapo told the newspaper that neither the former co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister, nor the ex-public works minister had resigned as Members of Parliament.

President Jacob Zuma sacked them on October 24.

Both still earned salaries as ANC MPs of R840 000 a year and also enjoyed privileges such as 48 paid-for inland business class plane tickets a year, and 24 plane tickets for their spouses.

Shiceka and Mahlangu-Nkabinde have been implicated in wrongdoing by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.

Mahlangu-Nkabinde's decision to allow two controversial building leases valued at R1.6bn to go ahead, despite tender procedures not being followed and legal advice to the contrary, amounted to maladministration, according to a finding by Madonsela.

In a separate report on Shiceka, Madonsela found he had racked up more than R1m in travel costs for himself, his staff and friends in violation of the executive ethics code.

This included a trip to Switzerland to see a girlfriend jailed on drug-related charges.

Shiceka denied any wrongdoing and vowed to go to court to contest Madonsela's findings.

- SAPA