Nkonyeni denies contract claim

Durban - KZN Speaker Peggy Nkonyeni has defended herself against allegations made in the Durban Labour Court this week by a suspended health department employee that she exerted pressure on health department officials to accelerate the awarding of a contract in exchange for a donation to the ANC.

Nkonyeni was health MEC when Cape Town-based Uruguayan businessman Gaston Savoi’s company, Intaka Holdings, was awarded the multi-million rand contract to supply equipment to the health department.

Suspended health department legal services manager Kantha Padayachee testified on Tuesday that she was worked out of the health department after informing the police and auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) about Intaka’s irregular contracts with the department.

On Wednesday, Nkonyeni’s spokesman, Wonder Hlongwa, said that, while the Office of the Speaker respected the Labour Court process, the allegations were now “out in the public domain” and Nkonyeni had to give her side of the story.

“Nkonyeni categorically denies allegations attributed to (Padayachee)… It is also important to mention that Padayachee was charged and suspended by the department after Nkonyeni had left and the charges she faced had to do with allegations of racism that were levelled against her and had nothing to do with the Intaka Holdings saga,” Hlongwa said.

He said it was “now baffling to understand” why Padayachee was “dragging Nkonyeni’s name into her problems with the department”.

Savoi and several senior KZN government employees were charged with racketeering, fraud and money laundering in the “Amigos” trial. Nkonyeni was originally charged, but the charges were withdrawn last October.

Hlongwa said Nkonyeni’s office had noted, “with suspicion”, that Padayachee’s allegations had surfaced shortly after the DA instituted court proceedings to force the National Prosecuting Authority to make public its reasons for withdrawing these charges against Nkonyeni.

He said Nkonyeni’s office believed that certain individuals, colluding with political parties, could be using the courts for party politics.

“The Office of the Speaker will, however, watch developments until the end of the proceedings before it makes a full statement on the allegations.”

The Mercury

• Court told of contract in exchange for cash