PREMIER SIHLE ZIKALALA RESPONDS ON BEHALF OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO IFP MPL BLESSED GWALA’S IRRATIONAL ATTACK ON KWAZULU-NATAL GOVERNMENT
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government rejects with contempt the lies and falsehoods peddled by IFP Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mr Blessed Gwala in which he makes baseless and gratuitous attack on the KZN Government..
In his latest unwarranted and vitriolic media statement, IFP MPL Blessed Gwala has sunk to the lowest depths of desperation to grab the news headlines by concocting an imagined “crisis” which actually does not exist.
The Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal is accustomed to the falsehoods and misrepresentations from honourable Gwala but he cannot be allowed to mislead the public masquerading behind the banner of Legislature while he spew political narratives that can only be referred in the realm of fables.
Mr Gwala is an honourable Member of the Legislature, a long-standing and vocal representative of his party in the Premier’s Portfolio Committee. For this reason, a better, more informed and nuanced level of discourse is expected of him – instead of the disingenuous and false political rhetoric that he has spewed.
But unfortunately, his latest missive contains a litany of lies and deliberate distortions that are meant to create unnecessary controversy, an act that is as shameful as it is self-serving.
The record will show that the current administration under Premier Sihle Zikalala, has been at the forefront of creating an ethical and incorruptible government.
• It is this sixth administration that has achieved more positive audit outcomes across departments with only three qualified audit opinion
• It is in this sixth administration where officials facing allegations of wrong doing including corruption are either facing consequence management or are in court.
• Transparency and accountability has been the hallmarks of the current administration as evidenced in all the forensic reports released and the subsequent actions that followed.
Mr Gwala has been present at many meetings of the Premier’s Portfolio Committee where several reports and updates were presented on progress in the fight against corruption. In this regard Mr Gwala is fully aware that several senior officials in the Office of the Premier and other departments that have already faced action and many are already appearing in court accused of corruption. This is the result of ongoing forensic investigations that have led to the prosecution of wrong doers in the province.
As the Provincial government we will not be distracted, and we will pursue with vigour the fight against fraud and corruption in government including in IFP-run municipalities or indeed any other structure in the province.
We have adopted a zero tolerance approach to crime, fraud and corruption, and we will not be distracted from this commitment.
As Mr Gwala himself declares, we have indicated that lifestyle audits will be conducted by the State Security Agency and SARS. He will be well aware that the process was commenced and only delayed when advise was received from national government that a framework is being finalized in order to safeguard employee’s and citizens’ rights as enshrined in the Constitution. However, government is not folding arms and waiting for the policy in this regard, ther is action to build a capable and ethical government.
Against this background, Mr Gwala’s own statement becomes more than what he calls “rhetoric” but can best be described as a generalized blanket attack on public servants.
We would like to remind Mr Gwala, MPL that it is simply insulting and unfair to brand the hard-working civil servants in the Office of the Premier or provincial government as “corrupt elements”, “corrupt officials” politically connected individuals” who “escape justice” simply because they are public servants.
Mr Gwala is able to enjoy a number of services daily because of the work of many ethical and hardworking public servants. He cannot be allowed to enjoy his few minutes of fame in the media by demonizing all public servants as corrupts without producing a shred of evidence.
The Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal is clear that no official can be shielded from evidence-based criminal prosecution.
Mr Gwala’s vituperative attack, camouflaged as a genuine concern of an MPL, smacks of a well-orchestrated campaign which seem to have gone into overdrive intended to undermine and discredit the public servants and the provincial government at large.
This reminds us of internationally-acclaimed author, Wole Soyinka’s warning about the age of impunity, where innocence will be no guarantee of immunity. Mr Gwala lives practically in Soyinka’s imagined time, where without evidence he happily criminalizes millions of innocent civil servants to serve his narrow political opportunism.
We can assure the country that in Mr Gwala’s own words: “KwaZulu-Natal has strong anti-corruption policies, embedded in the Constitution and multiple laws”.