EASTERN CAPE | PREMIER SUSPENDS EC EDUCATION HEAD BARELY A YEAR AFTER SHE ASSUMED OFFICE

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has suspended the Eastern Cape education head, Dr Naledi Mbude, for failing to deliver textbooks and the returning of unspent money to the National Treasury.

Mdube, who assumed office less than a year ago, has faced backlash for several issues, including failing to meet a High Court judgment that ordered the department to deliver learning materials to all schools in the province before March 31.

Mabuyane said in a statement on Wednesday that her suspension resulted from several issues.

These include the delays in the delivery of stationery to schools, the delays in processing payments for teacher assistance over the 2021 festive season, and the under expenditure of the conditional infrastructure grant, which led to the return of R 205 million to the Treasury.

“Premier Mabuyane has set up a team led by a Deputy Director-General at Provincial Treasury and comprising senior officials from the Office of the Premier and Treasury to conduct a further inquiry on these issues and submit a report to him within a month,” said Khuselwa Rantjie, education MEC spokesperson.

Mabuyane has appointed Mahlubandile Qwase, the Deputy Director-General in the Office of the Premier, as acting head for education pending the finalisation of investigations.

Meanwhile, the DA has raised questions over the suspension of Mbude and accused the province of trying to hide “the extent of rot” in the department.

The DA says that during a portfolio committee meeting on Monday, Mbude revealed several concerning issues within the Department.

“Dr Mbude said she had discovered that the department had been deliberately submitting manual orders for textbooks and stationery for years, delaying the payment for said materials until the next financial year due to insufficient funds in the current budget.

“Dr Mbude also informed the committee that the reason the infrastructure budget was underspent was due to significant irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure that she had discovered in the infrastructure programme and that the department was currently conducting a full audit of infrastructure projects,” said DA member of the provincial legislature, Yusuf Cassim.

Cassim says that Mbude also revealed several cases where there were huge discrepancies between what was paid for and what was delivered.

“Dr Mbude’s responses to our questions earlier this week have given a glimpse into the extent of the rot inside the Department. The DA will continue to pursue these issues, regardless of the steps taken to prevent the seething rotten underbelly of a corrupt department from being exposed,” Cassim added.