Mpumalanga’s education department head, Lucy Moyane, has taken a month-long leave of absence as pressure mounts over the R2-million laptop procurement saga that has rocked the province.
Her departure came hours after premier Mandla Ndlovu vowed during a media briefing at the G20 Education Indaba on Thursday that the findings of the investigation into the laptop deal would be made public.
“Our investigation of these 22 laptops is at an advanced stage. We’ll be ready soonest, and my soonest is soonest,” Ndlovu said.
Pressure from ANC leadership
The investigation is led by the integrity management unit in the premier’s office and has left South Africans asking what consequences — if any — will follow.
It, however, took pressure from the highest offices for Ndlovu to move with “thunderous’ speed.
In response to a Sunday World question, Ndlovu admitted that he was under pressure from the top leadership of the ANC, including its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula.
“You must know that the leadership of the ANC also has an interest in this matter. The president wants to know what happened,” Ndlovu said.
“The SG [secretary-general] of the ANC wants us to provide answers because when they do their work in other areas, they are asked about this thunder of the laptops in Mpumalanga. If mistakes were committed, we are going to act without fear.”
While the full details of Moyane’s leave remain confidential, Sunday World has seen the official letter appointing provincial examinations director Chukudu Manyabeane as acting head of department during her absence.
Timing of annual leave raises questions
When pressed to confirm whether Moyane’s time off was a cautionary suspension, provincial government spokesperson George Mthethwa insisted that it was just annual leave.
“This is a normal annual leave that she applied for some time ago and waited for approval. Also, it was delayed due to the G20 Provincial Education Indaba, which was held yesterday [Thursday]. Otherwise, she could have taken it some time ago,” said Mthethwa.
Still, the timing of her leave raises serious questions.
The laptop saga was first exposed during a fiery question-and-answer session in the provincial legislature when EFF member of the legislature Ntsako Mkhabela demanded answers from education MEC Cathy Dlamini about why each device cost R91 482.50.
Dlamini confirmed the total cost of R2 020 883.45 and said the laptops were procured through a Sita (State Information Technology Agency) panel of approved suppliers.
She added that she was not a beneficiary.
She claimed her public image was under attack because she “refuses to be captured by the opposition”.
Ndlovu has publicly supported her stance, adding that the ANC in Mpumalanga would not bow to manipulation.
“It will not be proper for me to respond on behalf of the MEC, but what I know is that we have our own lessons where this country was once captured by the Guptas.
“We have taken a decision as an organisation that we are no longer going to allow an individual, business, or any structure to capture our government,” Ndlovu said.
Scopa’s strong recommendation
Moyane’s leave also brings back unresolved issues from 2024.
In November 2024, the provincial standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) recommended action against her over the R2-million refurbishment of a guardhouse in KaNyamazane outside Mbombela.
The guardhouse, which resembles a basic shed, was revamped at R1.1-million, with an additional R1-million spent on fencing.
Scopa accused Moyane’s team of misleading the committee by cutting and pasting responses from a school project during their presentation.
Despite Scopa’s strong recommendation for disciplinary action, Moyane remained in her role until she took leave on Friday, as the department reels from another multimillion-rand scandal.
