Note to Editors: Please note Sakhile Mngadi, MPL soundbites in English and isiZulu
– DA welcomes investigation into National School Nutrition Programme corruption
– DA to brief Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, on developments in KZN
– MEC Hlomuka must be removed if allegations are proved to be true
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) welcomes the commitment by KZN Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers, to initiate a preliminary investigation following serious allegations of corruption implicating Education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka and several ANC-linked figures within the administration of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
The MECs response is a vital and encouraging step in the fight against entrenched political corruption which continues to rob many of our learners of their basic right to food.
Treasury’s authority under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) empowers it to suspend payments where irregularities are suspected. The DA will be pushing for this power to be exercised immediately to protect public funds and save the NSNP from total collapse.
The DA will also be submitting a formal briefing document to Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube – the custodian of the NSNP at a national level – urging her to intervene decisively. Our recommendations will include transferring future KZN NSNP grant disbursement responsibilities from the province’s Department of Education (DoE) to provincial Treasury in order to ensure transparency, clean governance and uninterrupted service delivery to learners.
While the allegations are alarming, Treasurys’ response is a moment of real progress in KZN. Accountability is no longer a distant hope – it is becoming a reality. In the event that the allegations prove true, MEC Sipho Hlomuka must be removed from office without delay. Corruption cannot be tolerated at the expense of hungry children and the future of our province.
As a member of KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA remains relentless in exposing the rot and defending the rights of our learners. We thank MEC Rodgers for acting with integrity, and we will continue to monitor this process closely until justice is done.