Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – The use or ab(use) of public funds by Dibolelo Mahlatsi, Member of Executive Council for Public Works and Infrastructure after spending R100 000 in Cape Town over four days has taken a new twist.
Mahlatsi traveled to Cape Town in March 2024, accompanied by two of her protectors and stayed at the Southern Sun Waterfront with taxpayers taking care of the bill and their bookings were done by Afrikaner Native Travel.
They also traveled to Durban a month earlier in February 2024, and spent R176 000 on accommodation at Sala Beach and the bookings were done by Astra Travel PTY LTD.
Paul Matlanyane, Media Liaison Officer for MEC Dibolelo Mahlatsi has still not responded to our questions to this day and whether, the trips were government or party linked.
According to a source at one of the travel agencies, their efforts to book cheap hotels were poured with cold water by MEC personnel.
“We got quote from MEC staff and when we said we could get cheaper hotels we were told to make bookings as instructed.”
Another source who has worked with bookings for MECs said it’s the office of the MEC that makes these bookings to limit risks.
“It’s not only at Public Works and Infrastructure, all personnel in executive authority offices do this and they run straight to Supply Chain. They behave like deputy MECs.”
Dibolelo Mahlatsi now has two monkeys on her back to deal with now after her allegedly irregular appointment at Social Development barely six months after joining the department.
She was appointed despite not being the best candidate and the court ruled in favor of Dibuo Mabitle who should have been appointed after topping the interviews charts, on merit.
To this day, Mabitle continues to be prejudiced although the court ruled she must be paid R3 million as compensation, department’s furniture was confiscated by Sherriff as a result of that failure to compensate her.
With Premier, Joyce Mathae more interested in reshuffling HoDs without any scientific or permanence management at least, (which is more likely to be challenged in court like Mtakati dragged Ntombela), than really fixing administration, it’s getting worse.
For a Premier who instructs the Hospital CEO to give a staff member a written warning without following Labor law, her silence over her MEC is very loud.
It can even be heard by the deaf and dead.
We have details of at least two reshuffling meetings and will give blow-by-blow details of who attended those meetings, where, when and what is at the centre of the sudden reshuffle.
This is a developing story.
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