We Demand an Immediate Lifestyle Audit of Dina Pule, by Presidency

Statement by Nazley Sharif MP – DA Spokesperson on Social Development:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Director-General in the Presidency, and Secretary to Cabinet, calling for an immediate lifestyle audit of Dina Pule, the newly sworn-in Minister of Social Development appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week.

The DA’s letter has been delivered to the Presidency today.

Dina Pule is utterly unfit to be a Minister in Cabinet, based on her track record of unethical conduct, betraying her oath of office as Minister, bringing Parliament into disrepute, misleading Parliament, maladministration, criminal investigations, improper benefits to her boyfriend, and R10-million in unlawful payments.

The most serious part of her track record is that a scheme was devised and implemented for her boyfriend to benefit unlawfully from tax-payer money, to the tune of R6-million transferred into his own bank account.

For this reason, no one can trust Dina Pule with state resources, and the DA demands that upon her coming into office a lifestyle audit must immediately be conducted. This will provide a base-line upon which her Ministerial tenure may be measured.

There is no reason or evidence to show that she will not do again what she did before, and to fiercely protect tax-payer money from Pule’s grasp, there must be a baseline audit that shows her current lifestyle, assets and finances.

The DA will not relent on fighting for the beneficiaries of social assistance, who deserve a Minister of impeccable credentials, not a Minister who was fired by Jacob Zuma for being so bad that even he could not tolerate her any longer.

President Ramaphosa’s selection of Dina Pule as the new Minister of Social Development has been rejected by the DA, and we will not relent until there is accountability.