Leah Potgieter and Joe McGluwa outside the Public Protector's offices in Pretoria, where the DA submitted a dossier seeking an investigation into Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie over allegations relating to R110 million in arts funding allocations and R31 million spent on a FIFA World Cup programme.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has formally approached the Public Protector to investigate Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie over allegations that he breached the Executive Ethics Code, abused his powers and improperly benefited members of his political party through appointments linked to the allocation of public funds.
The complaint, lodged on Thursday, centres on two key issues: the appointment of a panel that allocated nearly R110 million through the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) programme and the department’s expenditure of almost R31 million on a FIFA World Cup programme in North America.
Addressing the media outside the Public Protector’s offices, DA Sport, Arts and Culture spokesperson Leah Potgieter said the party was seeking an independent investigation into what it described as a troubling pattern of political patronage and questionable spending.
“A Minister's oath is not ceremonial. It is a promise to South Africans that public power will be exercised honestly, diligently, in good faith and in the interests of the country,” Potgieter said.
