On Thursday, 24 January 2013, the Premier of the province, Premier Thandi Modise will be appearing before the North West Provincial Legislature’s Standing Committee on Provincial Public Accounts (SCOPA). The meeting will be held at Committee 2 at the Legislature Building at 9h00.
Premier Thandi Modise will be giving a report on the two MECs, the MEC for Finance, Paul Sebegoe, and the former MEC, who is now the MEC for Education, Loiusa Mabe. The Committee had called on the Premier to expel them after they failed to come and account to the committee in December 2012.
The two MECs were called to account to the committee regarding media reports that the Department of Finance spent R13 million on legal fees of a disciplinary hearing of its suspended Head of Department, Johannes Mohlala. According to the report, the Acting HOD, Geo Paul, had written to the former MEC, who was MEC Mabe then, to advise that if MEC Mabe wanted to deviate from the normal process to appoint the law firm, the value of the contract should not exceed R500 000, but invoices that the media has seen shows that department paid nearly R2 million for a single invoice.
Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Hlomane Chauke said the Premier will also respond to all issues the committee will be raising concerning the issue and what actions will be taken it has been found that procurement processes have been breached.
All members of the media are invited to attend the meeting, please contact Namhla Luhabe on 079 527 0628.
