Helen Zille violated ethics code by assisting her son
The public protector says that, despite tablets being used for free maths lessons by Paul Maree, the premier exposed herself to the risk of a conflict
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has found that Western Cape premier Helen Zille violated the Executive Ethics Code by assisting her maths teacher son to loan tablets from the province’s education department, so that he could offer extra maths lessons to disadvantaged matric students. Zille’s son, Paul Maree, was not paid for the extra maths lessons, which he offered in Khayalitsha and surrounding areas in 2014. “The premier’s involvement in the process that has resulted in securing access to the tablets in question by her son, and in the acquiring of son’s company’s services and resources, has exposed her to the risk of a conflict between her official responsibilities, as a first citizen of the province, and private interests, which involved her son,” Mkhwebane said. “This conduct of the premier has consequently resulted in the violation of her constitutional obligation to avoid an exposure to the aforesaid risk.” Mkhwebane said the rule of law had to be applied to every citizen...
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