Mayende-Sibiya spends thousands on farewell party
Aug 23, 2010 10:35 PM | By CHANDRÉ PRINCE
The Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities spent thousands of rands of taxpayers' money on a party to mark her retirement from trade union politics.
In June, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya's department paid two musicians R75000 for performing at a farewell party hosted for her by union Nehawu in Durban on December 8.
Musicians Steve Kekana and Babsy Mlangeni serenaded the party people at the Prince Mshiyeni Hospital. The function was organised to bid farewell to three veterans of the union, of which Mayende-Sibiya was the chairman before taking up her Cabinet post.
High-powered politicians came to the party, including Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for arts and culture Weziwe Thusi, and the province's deputy speaker, Mtholephi Mthimkhulu .
Pictures of the bash on the provincial health department website show Mayende-Sibiya dancing, with a garland around her neck.
After battling to get their money for six months, and sending letters of demand, Kekana and Mlangeni were paid - not by Nehawu but by Mayende-Sibiya's ministry, drawing from its suspense account.
Sibani Mngadi, Mayende-Sibiya's spokesman, confirmed the payment, but said there were questions about who hired the musicians for what was not a department function.
An investigation into the unauthorised expenditure has now been launched and the department is hoping to recover the cash.
"The department is in the process of determining liability for the expenditure and will recover the costs in line with its theft and loss policy," said Mngadi.
He said that information gleaned from officials showed that procurement policies had been flouted and that no quotations had not been submitted by the performers.
Kekana and Mlangeni, who are both blind, worked for the department in 2008 and 2009, during Disability Day celebrations.
They could not be reached for comment.
Though The Times understands that the musicians' letters of demand were addressed to the minister, Mngadi said that it was her axed special adviser, Nomazotsho Memani-Balani, who had invited them to perform.
Mayende-Sibiya fired Memani-Balani on August 7, claiming she was absent without leave for more than three months and did not do her job.
"Advisers have no authority to request services on behalf of the department and the department had no obligation to secure any services for this particular event," Mngadi said.
Despite this, the department decided to settle.
Mngadi refused to divulge further details, including who authorised the payment to the musicians.
Memani-Balani labelled the allegation a "smear campaign" and refused to comment further.
But her lawyer, Jabulani Ndhlovu, denied that she had invited the musicians to perform.
