There have been multiple reports about the Communication Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams who is allegedly accused of using the hard-earned taxpayers’ money to pay for her lavish anniversary celebration abroad.
Ndabeni-Abrahams have made the headline before for using taxpayers’ money and tagging her partner along on international trips. The Sunday Independent Newspaper has reported the minister to have been using the taxpayers’ money together with her husband, Thabo Abrahams, on two occasions: a trip to New York City and Switzerland, this was done without President Cyril Ramaphosa’s permission.
Ndabeni-Abrahams’ spokesperson, Nthabeleng Mokimiti-Dlamini said bringing a spouse along to your official business trips doesn’t require any permission provided that limits set are followed.
“The president is not required to approve the inclusion of a spouse, as long as it is line with limits set in the Ministerial Handbook.” Nthabeleng Mokimiti-Dlamini said on Saturday,
Following the report, it was also confirmed by President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko that the president doesn’t get involved in travel arrangements for ministers’ spouses and or children saying they are “regulated by the Ministerial Handbook”.
However, according to Patricia De Lille, who is the Public Works minister, said they also had to seek presidential approval for every trip should they include their spouses and/or children.
“Each and every trip, you need to make an application in writing within 14 days and motivate why you must take your spouse along,” she said according to reports.
Sunday Independent has confirmed two return business class tickets to Switzerland amounting to R76719, and this excludes food and accommodation, this was seen by the Sunday Independent on the official government letter for the trip.
Looking deeper into the situation, according to the Ministerial Handbook Chapter 6, it is stated that:
“Ministers and Deputy Ministers should approach the President in writing to request approval for the intended visit and in the event of a planned official visit abroad, such request should be at least two weeks prior to departure.”
What happened that stirs controversy
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- In September 2019, the couple went to New York and Switzerland (Spending R76719) – senior government official as well as an internal document, indicates that the Ndabeni-Abrahams attended a conference meeting in New York.
- She took part in a congress in Geneva, Switzerland – while there, her husband Thabo, allegedly made use of the Ndabeni-Abrahams’ allocated chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz S600 to go shopping in Paris.
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The report also indicates that Ndabeni-Abrahams has been “been accused of outsourcing departmental functions to Thato” according to the IOL report allowing her husband to conduct interviews for a range of board for “which she has political oversight.”
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- Backing dating to 2013, it was reported that the Communications Minister who was Dina Pule at the time, spend R700 000 of taxpayers’ money on international trips with her partner, Phosane Mngqibisa.
- Sunday Times reported Pule to be have lived in Ritz-Carlton in New York spending R35 000 for 2 nights and an extra R10 000 for luxury car hire.
- Dina Pule was dismissed and forced to apologize to the in parliament, and she said: “I want to say to this House I did the best I could to do my job and if I made a mistake, I want to apologize.”
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Ms. Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams could face the same fate. She was appointed Mister of Communications in November 2018.
