Opinion

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has said his MECs and their partners have all been found to live a lifestyle in line with their income, according to the results of a lifestyle audit.

  • An independent audit has found that Western Cape MECs and their partners all live a lifestyle in line with their income.
  • The audit covered a two year period from 1 June 2017 to 31 May 2019 when Premier Alan Winde’s cabinet was appointed.
  • In a heat map, all scored green, meaning the audit did not identify any suspicious transactions or areas of concern that could have an influence on the ability to hold office.

Western Cape MECs and their partners have all been found to live a lifestyle in line with their income, Premier Alan Winde has said.
This after they underwent lifestyle audits at the beginning of his term, conducted by Nexus Forensic Services, an independent contractor appointed through an open tender process, he said in a statement.
The audit covered a two year period from 1 June 2017 up to 31 May 2019, when Winde’s cabinet was appointed.
Intelligence Searches (BIS) were conducted and included questionnaires and supporting documents for the declarations made on the questionnaires, whereafter their bank statements were analysed.
In a heat map, all scored green, meaning the audit did not identify any suspicious transactions or areas of concern that could have an influence on the ability to hold office.
“The final report found that all ministers and their spouses led lifestyles commensurate with their income during the two year period and did not pick up any conflicts of interest,” Winde said.
The contractor, however, advised that Director General Harry Malila request members of the executive to declare interests in any dormant or non-active business entities, in line with best practice.
“When I became Premier last year, I committed to clean and open governance. One of my commitments was lifestyle audits for all members of my cabinet and I am pleased to say that I have received and studied the final report which shows that all members of cabinet and their spouses live a lifestyle in line with their income and that there were no conflicts of interest,” Winde said.
He explained the lifestyle audits, both at the beginning and end of his term, was to ensure that no one was able to use their position on the provincial executive to enrich themselves.