Picture: North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha
By STAFF REPORTER
North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha is in ‘hot water’ after he allegedly made a slanderous statement against one of the Members of the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL).
Sambatha was seen on a video footage accusing an MPL of anarchy, while addressing the media at the Mmabatho Medical Depot recently where they raided the place and found unpaid invoices worth millions.
Now, things have taken a wrong direction after the Chair of NWPL Standing Committee on Legislative Review and House Resolutions Implementation, Mmoloki Cwaile registered a notice of contravention of house rules on proceedings of matters regarding ethics, integrity and members interests on and around public utterances against Sambatha.
According to the letter that is in Taung DailyNews’ possession, Cwaile requests for a swift redress from the NWPL speaker, Sussana Dantjie in terms of the 9th edition of the NWPL Standing Rules as adopted on 26 March 2019.
“Sambatha has made unprecedented, demeaning, reckless, irrational, and prejudicial statement, on and around 12 August 2020 impairing the dignity of the members and the integrity of the legislature using media statement and video recordings.
“He leveled allegations against both member/s of the legislature and or legislature itself in contravention of the House Standing Rules governing the conduct of the members of the House with no regard to the decorum and regulatory faculty of discipline prescribed by the Standing Rules of the House,” he said.
Cwaile said Sambatha alleged that member or members of the legislature is or are whistle-blower/s on matters of allegations of unprecedented rates of corruption and malfeasance at the Department of Health, where he presided as Executive Authority (AO). He alleged that Sambatha failed to engage or respond to the ever-growing allegations of corruption or challenges facing his department that do not seem to get out of the sight of the media or unknown whistle-blowers.
“Sambatha consciously chose to launch attacks on the integrity of the legislature and this is a serious allegation impacting negatively on the integrity of the legislature as per interpretation of the Standing Rules. So, we requested the Speaker to invoke Chapter 18 on the House Standing Rules on and about Ethics, Privilege, and Contempt.
“The Speaker must appoint an Ad-hoc Committee to make an inquiry on the allegation/s regarding my submissions on an unbecoming conduct of Sambatha. It is unfortunate that he holds the view that MPL’s are in the business of making allegations in the form of whistle-blowing outside of their capacity,” said Cwaile.
He said MPLs constitutionally enjoy so much powers, privileges, and immunities to extend that even if evidentiary factual proof does not exist, they are able to make allegations on any matter and seek investigations and or accountability on them or responses to deal with them. Cwaile further said one wonders if Sambatha has ‘selective amnesia’ to extend that with no reason he now sees MPLs as weak, fearful public sector employees when they are honoured with bigger and powerful responsibilities.
This cannot be ignorance, but maybe due to reckless political gymnastics not helpful to serve delivery nor decorum of the house, says Cwaile.
Meanwhile, Sambatha said they have a permanent circulation of accusations which most of them were lies. He said whistle-blower circulated a letter that saying the administrator has an interest and that is why the management was suspended at the medical store.
“Mr Anonymous/whistle-blower is not going to write a letter tomorrow and he knows while people don’t have medicines. What must he do is just to open up and tell us what is his real problem and anger about the department of health, instead of mobilizing anarchy where we are correcting.
“Management of this centre has been suspended predominantly because of the problem surrounding the availability of medicine. Mr Anonymous/whistle-blower was the spokesperson of suspended managers in his letter he circulated. We are here at the depot because we do not have medicines to supply to people,” said Sambatha.
He also challenged Mr Anonymous/whistle-blower who is the MPL to come out of the closet and mobilize his people to give them invoices to be able to pay service providers and have access to medicines.
What we are not going to do is to compromise our people because of anarchy, says Sambatha.
The NWPL spokesperson, Tebogo Chane confirmed that Dantjie has received a letter and will address it in due course.
The Guardian 