The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party in the Mpumalanga provincial legislature has shot down an announcement by Premier Mandla Ndlovu that his government will launch an investigation into the scandal where the provincial Department of Education bought 22 laptops for R2 million.

The party’s member of the provincial legislature in Mbombela, Benon Nxumayo, says the government cannot investigate itself, hence they want an independent firm to carry out the probe following a public outcry over the clearly inflated purchase.

He said this is nothing but damage control by a “corrupt” ANC government trying to protect its own corrupt comrades.

“The Premier’s office can not investigate itself. This was not an error—it was daylight robbery of public funds. The claim that officials simply “misled” the Premier is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Mpumalanga.

“We demand: an independent, public investigation, immediate arrests of all involved and an end to ANC cover-ups,” Nxumayo said in a statement today, May 5.

Nxumayo added that this scandal proves once again that the ANC is incapable of clean governance, and the people of Mpumalanga deserve better.

According to some media reports, the laptops retail around R17 000, but the department ended up paying around R92 000 for each laptop.