President Cyril Ramaphosa has admonished defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula over ANC officials' jamboree on a military aircraft to Zimbabwe, but is it enough?
“The president has further sanctioned the minister by imposing a salary sacrifice on the minister’s salary for three months, starting from 1 November 2020. Her salary for the three months should be paid into the Solidarity Fund, which was established to support the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The president furthermore directed the minister to make sure that the ANC reimburses the state for the costs of the flight to Harare and to report to him once that has been done,” the presidency said in statement issued on Saturday.
This came after Mapisa-Nqakula had submitted the report that was demanded by the president when she and an ANC delegation led by secretary-general Ace Magashule returned from Harare earlier this month. Ramaphosa described the minister's action as an “error in judgment”.
This was a move in the right direction by the president, however, is the sanction good enough? There is no excuse for what the minister did. It showed disregard for the separation of powers between state and party, and misuse of government resources to benefit the ruling party.
This kind of “error”, where politicians go on a joyride in a military plane at taxpayers' expense, should never have happened in a democratic state.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who has been a cabinet minister for years, knew that allowing ordinary citizens on a military jet was grossly unacceptable and against the law. It is discouraging that she was not suspended or even sacked for such behaviour.
It is especially dangerous for the minister of defence to fail to distinguish between party and state business. She is in charge of an important portfolio in government. What's next? Taking orders from Luthuli House on how to run her department?
A three-month salary cut is a slap on the wrist for such misconduct. She's likely to commit a similar blunder in future, or even worse.
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