Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Minister of Mineral Resources Mosebenzi Zwane told MPs there was nothing untoward about the appointment of Seipati Dlamini as deputy director general of mineral regulation in his office.
According to Zwane, Dlamini's appointment was not in a permanent capacity.
"I would like to make a plea to members (MPs who are represented on the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources) to stick to issues that are relevant," Zwane said.
He was responding to a letter addressed to him by the Democratic Alliance's James Lorimer, in which he was asked to refute allegations that he had appointed a "long-time ally" to a senior and very technical position.
Dlamini is said to have served as Zwane's chief of staff for the past year, and was the chief financial officer in the Free State Department of Agriculture during Zwane's tenure as the province's MEC.
Alleged irregular payments
During his time as Free State MEC, irregular payments were purportedly made to a Gupta-linked company for a Free State dairy project in Zwane's home town of Vrede.
In Wednesday's parliamentary briefing, Zwane said the matter of Dlamini's appointment "was administrative" and should not be an item of discussion in a portfolio committee meeting of parliament.
"Nevertheless, I wish to place it on record that the said person has the necessary qualifications. She served in different provinces, for example in the Northern Cape's Treasury. She also held deputy director general positions in the Free State," Zwane said.
He added that he needed the support of MPs in the mineral resources committee and that they shouldn't cast aspersions based on what they read in the media.
Lorimer responded that Parliament is within its right to question appointments in his department, as it is part of the institution's oversight function.
African National Congress MP Vangile Nyambi said Lorimer's reaction was "unfortunate", especially since it happens during government's 16 days of activism against violence against women and children.
"Is this because it is a black woman?" ANC MP Mandla Mandela responded.
Zwane concluded by saying that Dlamini wasn't appointed in a permanent capacity.
"If there's a need to do changes in the department - I'll do those changes. I'll make sure properly qualified people with all the necessary requirements are appointed. That will happen. Should the committee need to know something, I'll furnish you with the necessary information.
"Don't cast aspersions when you read something in the paper. I'm here almost every week. I make sure that I come," said Zwane.
"We have followed all the processes we needed to follow to ensure that we deal with what we needed to deal with.
"To wrap this up: I’ll request that this member support this department in whatever transformation we want to do. This may not be the first and the last one. As we move forward, we’ll adjust in accordance with the challenges facing us as a department. We won’t hide anything."
