Science and Technology Minister's husband in R11 million tender battle

Science and Technology Minister's husband in R11 million tender battle

Minister of Science and Technology, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, has been accused of being unable to arbitrate over disputes in the North West province. This follows accusations that she has a conflict of interest in the region, as her husband had been awarded a R11 million IT contract with the state in the same province.

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Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Minister of Science and Technology, is currently under the spotlight for a potential conflict of interest in the North West province.

Her husband, Sihle Ngubane, had been granted a R11 million IT contract with the North West government.

Sihle reportedly had business ties with the legislature, until he had resigned and sold the company in 2018 to avoid possible embarrassment for the minister.

The African National Congress had recently appointed the minister to head provincial structures in the province in anticipation of the May elections.

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According to News24, this had sparked allegations that the minister had a conflict of interest in the North West.

In response to the allegations, the minister has insisted that the company, Sizavox, had been sold to avoid any confusion, despite the contract being put into place before the pair had even met.

Briefly.co.za gathered that all the standard procedures had been followed, including the minister submitting her financial interests as called for in the ministerial code of conduct.

Documents from the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission had also confirmed that Ngubane had sold the business.

This seems to stem from conflict surrounding the dismissal of Supra Mahumapelo, formerly the premier in the province. Briefly.co.za reported earlier that the removal of the premier had sparked tension within the legislature in the region.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Samantha Riddle avatar

Samantha Riddle Samantha Riddle is a former Mainstream/ Current Affairs Manager. She covered the breaking stories and SA news from 2018-2021. Currently, she’s working for The South African.