Mathale denies hampering investigations

Allegations in a Sunday paper this week, that Limpopo Premier, Cassel Mathale is frustrating and hampering corruption investigations into top provincial civil servants are misleading. This is according to Tebatso Mabitsela, Head of Government Communication in the Premier’s office.
Mabitsela said in a media briefing on Monday that inaccuracies and misrepresentation of facts about the Limpopo provincial government are common place and that allegations leveled against the Premier are incorrect, misleading and devoid of the truth.
The article in the Sunday Independent stated that Mathale refused to institute disciplinary action against several heads of departments who were accused of corruption. It seems that the premier was supposed to sign off documents that would lead to two provincial heads of departments being charged. Thus far the criminal investigations by the Special Investigating Unit against the top officials have been stalled for almost four months. According to the article Mathale took the documents to his lawyers who are concerned about its legality.
The paper quoted a source in the provincial government as saying that there are five HODs that need to be disciplined. Three are from the five departments that were placed under intervention by the national government. Two are from other departments outside of the intervention. According to the source at least one HOD has resigned after establishing that there was going to be an investigation into them.
Matitsela told the media on Monday that the newspaper’s allegation that the Premier does not want to take action against the officials because he wants to protect his own interests is “a true reflection of malice”.
“These allegations are clearly intended to assassinate the character of the Premier and vilify him without factual basis. We want to put it on record that the allegation reports, if any, of the five HODs have not been submitted to the Premier and to say that the Premier does want to act are totally baseless and unfounded.”