By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the North West said the resignation of the North West Provincial government (NWPG) Director- General, Dr Lydia Sebego is long overdue. Sebego is officially bowed out on August 31 after more than 30 years of public service.
Sebego who served as the Director-General in the Office of the Premier since 2015, was employed by the former North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo despite her alleged involvement in a tender storm that has cost the North West government as much as R250 million.
According to City Press newspaper, Sebego was implicated in a forensic report by audit firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo, while she was then the head of the health department.
It is alleged that Sebego ‘supervised’ a signing-off on multimillion-rand payments for medical equipment that was not quoted on, but was purchased – and yet not delivered. The SizweNtsalubaGobodo report, concluded in October 2012, led to a fraud and corruption investigation by the Hawks in 2013.
The investigation was commissioned in 2011 to look into alleged irregularities in the procurement of X-ray machines and scanners for a regional hospital in Vryburg and a district hospital in Ledig. The SizweNtsalubaGobodo report revealed that the expensive X-ray machines that had not been quoted on were paid for but not yet delivered.
It is also alleged that other machines that were bought did not have the necessary licences – and could expose patients to danger. Payments were claimed without evidence of invoices submitted.
However, Sebego said she was not aware of any investigation into her activities. She said that when she was appointed director-general in 2015. She said the office of the premier had checked whether she had a criminal case pending, and nothing was revealed.
The EFF’s Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL), Thabo Sehloho said: “Her resignation is long overdue. Actually she was supposed to go when her master, Mahumapelo resigned. Sebego was leading the provincial government during the period when the government, departments and municipalities were collapsing.
“Irregular, wasteful expenditure, maladministration and corrupt activities happened under her leadership. She has contributed on collapsing of the North West government. So, as EFF in the North West, we call on the current Premier to institute an investigation on Sebego’s failure to implement consequence management while she was in the office.”
Sehloho added that they also call on the Hawks to extend their investigations on Mahumapelo to her. He said they will follow up on what prompted Sebego to resign while the water is boiling for her ‘master’.
North West Premier, Job Mokgoro said: “We want to wish Sebego well in the next chapter of her life. We want to describe her as a decisive and courageous leader who displayed a rare ability to commendably manage at operational and strategic level, this despite the turbulent environment within which she worked.”
The Guardian 