Former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize shifts blame for home maintenance costs to messenger
Former Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has accused the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) of rejecting his version of events over the R6 720 which was allegedly paid by Digital Vibes towards his family home maintenance.
This was despite further evidence by Mkhize, who filed papers in the High Court in Johannesburg last week to have the damning SIU report set aside and findings against him declared unconstitutional and unlawful.
Mkhize is accused of allegedly putting pressure on department officials to award a controversial R150 million tender to Digital Vibes, a company owned by Tahera Mather and Naadhira Mitha, alleged to be friends of Mkhize and his family.
The R6 720 is part of the millions paid by Digital Vibes in what the SIU believed “constituted undue gratification or were for the purposes of money laundering or as proceeds of unlawful activities and derive from unlawful payments”.
Mkhize said the SIU claimed his version of events was “in doubt” as the messenger tasked with facilitating the maintenance had not been charged. He said the SIU ignored the fact that “it had instructed me not to take any further action in relation to the Digital Vibes matter which had by that stage been taken over by the SIU team”.
In Mkhize’s version, the messenger employed by the department, Thami Mkhize, was allegedly given money by Mkhize’s wife (Dr May Mkhize) to do repairs, but the messenger kept the money for himself.
It is alleged that on his own accord, he asked one of the Digital Vibes directors to pay the service provider on his behalf, as they regarded each other as “brother and sister”.
Thami has since filed a supporting affidavit in this regard.
“I submitted an affidavit dated June 15, 2021, to the SIU confirming that I had engaged 4 Way Maintenance Services to undertake repairs at the family home of Dr May Mkhize in Johannesburg,” read Thami’s supporting affidavit.
“I gave my cell number as a person to contact which appears on the invoice. I understand that the SIU questioned Dr Zwelini Mkhize about the number on the invoice. I confirm that the cell number on the invoice is indeed my number and registered under my name in terms of Rica,” he said.
Mkhize said the SIU rejected the explanation provided in this regard to the approximately R7 000 paid towards his family home maintenance.
Source: News365
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