The high court in the Eastern Cape Province on Friday ruled this when it dismissed an application from the provincial government director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu to set aside Mkhwebane’s findings concerning the funeral of Mandela in 2013.
In December 2017 Mkhwebane released her 333-page report after an investigation into alleged misappropriation of public funds‚ improper conduct and maladministration by the provincial government and other organs of state‚ including four municipalities‚ in connection with expenditure incurred for the funeral and memorial services.
The investigation found‚ among other maladies‚ evidence of widespread irregular‚ fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the procurement of goods and services for the memorial and funeral.
The expenditure was found to have failed to meet the test of fairness‚ equity‚ transparency‚ competitiveness and cost-effectiveness, according to the court.
Mbina-Mthembu expressed her unhappiness in 2018 about Mkhwebane’s findings that that public funds amounting to over $21 million were improperly diverted from the Eastern Cape Province’s Development Corporation’s social infrastructure delivery programme towards the memorial and funeral services.
Mkhwebane’s acting spokesperson‚ Oupa Segalwe‚ recalled at the time that Mbina-Mthembu had called Mkhwebane “idiotic” for issuing her report on the abuse of the public resources.
Mkhwebane said the court’s decision to dismiss the application paved the way “for the full implementation” of the remedial action she had directed various organs of state to take. She also welcomed the court’s decision to award her costs.