MBOMBELA – The provincial leader of the EFF is being evicted from his official residence. However, Mr Collen Sedibe said he was taking legal action to stop it.
He received a letter from the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, the implementing agent on behalf of the legislature, in December, informing him that his official residence had been terminated.
The Handbook for Members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature provides that only MPLs with home bases outside a 50-kilometre radius from the legislature may be provided with official accommodation.
The legislature says it has come to their attention that Sedibe in fact lives inside this radius.
He was thus requested to vacate the property with immediate effect.
“Based on this new information at the disposal of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, there is no other option but to ask Hon Sedibe to vacate the state house,” the letter reads.
“Your insistence on residing in the official residence when you are aware of the rule book is shocking and tantamount to defrauding government.”
Legislature spokesman Ms Zama Memela-Gamede said they allocated official residences on facts provided by MPLs and that Sedibe provided false information. When legislature got round to verifying it, his alleged dishonesty was discovered.
Sedibe, however, claimed his home base in Phola Village was located either 51 kilometres or 62 kilometres from the beehive in Mbombela, depending on which road you used.
He said the move was a personal attack on him, in reaction to his party laying criminal complaints with the police against the Speaker, Ms Thandi Shongwe and premier Mr David Mabuza.
Memela-Gamede said the verification process had found no other MPLs who misled the legislature. She did not confirm whether Sedibe had yet vacated the house, what they intend to do about the matter if he will not budge, or how much the house costs the provincial government each month.
