Public Protector Will Investigate Minister Fikile Mbalula’s Lavish Dubai Trip
Public Protector (PP) Busisiwe Mkhwebane has decided to launch an investigation into the funding of a trip to Dubai, taken by Fikile Mbalula, former Minister of Sport and Recreation, and his family. The investigation follows a request made by civil rights watchdog AfriForum, after allegations were made by an EWN investigation that Sedgars Sport, a sporting […]
Public Protector (PP) Busisiwe Mkhwebane has decided to launch an investigation into the funding of a trip to Dubai, taken by Fikile Mbalula, former Minister of Sport and Recreation, and his family.
The investigation follows a request made by civil rights watchdog AfriForum, after allegations were made by an EWN investigation that Sedgars Sport, a sporting goods supplier, paid between R300 000 and R680 000 for the Mbalula family’s trip to the Atlantis, The Palm Hotel in Dubai. (The world famous hotel was developed by Sol Kerzner’s Kerzner International Holdings and is internationally acclaimed for its Atlantis-themed waterpark.)
The entire holiday package, including return airfares, cost approximately R680 000.
“It is extremely suspicious that Mbalula was the Minister of Sport and Recreation during the trip, and the company which apparently sponsored the trip conducted business with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc),” says Monique Taute, Head of AfriForum’s Anti-corruption Unit.
“An investigation by the PP can possibly reveal a conflict of interest, as well as a possible corrupt relationship between Mbalula and Sedgars Sport.”
AfriForum said on Monday that it was notified by the PP’s office of the decision to investigate. The investigation will be in accordance with the Executive Members’ Ethics Act.