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A clumsy mistake by her team saw Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu embarrassed on Wednesday during a media briefing as anonymous people disrupted proceedings and displayed anti-ANC messages on the video conference screen.
The Zoom-bombing came just moments after a loud beeping sound consistently interrupted the speakers, and “f*** the ANC” was broadcast on the big screen behind Sisulu.
“The gimmicks would not detract us from the important job that we are at now,” said a red-faced Sisulu.
Officials told the minister that the meeting was “hacked” and the video conference had to be switched off, but Rand Water officials later found that Sisulu’s media team had posted the meeting ID code on social media, which allowed external people with the Zoom application to join in and disrupt proceedings.
Taking questions later from the media, the minister reminded journalists of her state intelligence credentials – where she previously served as minister – adding that she had uncovered a plot to tarnish her name by some of her comrades in the ANC, who spread rumours that she was campaigning for the party presidency in 2022 and was using her ministerial national rapid response task team to raise funds.
“I’m an intelligence officer of the highest rank. I have discovered where that malicious rumour comes from and I have reported it to the integrity committee and ethics committee,” she said.
She said the “person” behind the rumour, whom she did not name, “can expect a letter from the integrity committee” – indicating that the suspect was also a member of the governing party and subject to its ethics body rules.
“I have all the information that they have been giving out and using various people in the national rapid response task team to spread all of these stories.
“It is intended to tarnish and damage. You should not be proud of people who are peddling information to tarnish other people’s integrity”.
Sisulu said the rumours were completely incorrect.
We will await the integrity committee and ethics committee reports, she said, but sent a firm warning to the media: “Do not be used! Do not be used!”.
The media briefing at the Rand Water offices in the south of Johannesburg had been called to explain the steps Sisulu was taking to halt corrupt activities in the department after the Auditor-General found irregular expenditure of R16 billion.
Sisulu said she had appointed a legal team led by Advocate Terry Motau to investigate the suspicious transactions going as far back as 2013 so that those who are responsible should be brought to book.
The department had charged a number of senior and junior managers in relation to the suspected acts of fraud, corruption and maladministration.
DA deputy shadow minister for human settlements, water and sanitation, Emma Powell, described Sisulu’s briefing as “smoke and mirrors” and a “scramble for cover”.
She said Sisulu’s press conference was “a deliberate attempt by her spin doctors to obscure serious, criminal claims faced by the minster with specific reference to alleged tender meddling at Amatola and Lepelle Water Boards”.
“The minister’s announcement that she has personally appointed (Motau) and other investigators to look into maladministration and corruption within the department and the two boards is not only a smoke and mirrors diversion, it is a gross conflict of interest”.
She said that although the minister said Motau would also oversee an investigation into Amatola and Lepelle, she had “already directly appointed two alternative investigating firms to look into the boards’ activities”.
“It is outrageous that the same politician embroiled in claims of tender meddling, feels it fit to directly appoint the firms responsible for the investigation. The DA will release a separate statement regarding these firms by the end of the week.”
Powell said the DA had decided to make public information regarding the situation at Amatola and Lepelle, “and how claims by both CEOs directly implicate the minister in potentially serious allegations of procurement meddling”.
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