Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula cleared of improper conduct complaint brought by ex-DPE DG
The Public Protector has cleared National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula of an improper conduct complaint by the former Public Enterprises director-general, Kgathatso Tlhakudi.
He complained to the Public Protector that she had failed to deal swiftly with a protected disclosure he made to the president and Parliament in 2022 related to the sale of South African Airways (SAA).
Tlhakudi has alleged that Minister Pravin Gordhan has been complicit in an improper transaction that will see the majority stake of the airline being sold to the Takatso Consortium.
Last month, Parliament’s public enterprises committee said it couldn’t finalise its investigation into Tlhakudi’s complaint because Gordhan was being uncooperative.
After the Presidency declined to investigate the matter, Tlhakudi submitted a complaint to the Public Protector.
He wanted the office to investigate whether the Speaker had taken too long to acknowledge and act on his disclosure.
But Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka said she’d found no improper conduct or maladministration on the part of Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
She had informed Tlhakudi a month after his disclosure was submitted in October 2022 that she had referred the matter to the public enterprises portfolio committee.
The Public Protector said the Speaker can’t direct how the committee does its business.
Three weeks ago the committee said its investigation into Tlhakudi’s allegations had stalled because the department was withholding crucial documents related to the SAA sale.
The department has subsequently denied this.
Gcaleka said that Mapisa-Nqakula did not breach her legal obligations in dealing with Tlhakudi’s disclosure and she could not take his complaint any further.
-EWN
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