DA Gives Mpumalanga Premier Deadline to Act Against Education HoD Suspended After R2m Laptop Scandal
- The Democratic Alliance wants Mandla Ndlovu to take action against the suspended Lucy Moyane
- The province’s Education Head of Department has been suspended since May 2025 following an investigation
- South Africans shared their thoughts on the party's calls for action to be taken against Moyane
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
MPUMALANGA – The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu to take action against Lucy Moyane following the province's infamous laptop scandal.
Moyane, the province’s Education Head of Department, has been suspended since May 2025 following an investigation into the procurement of 22 laptops and a printer, which cost the department over R2 million. Each laptop cost R92,000.
She remains suspended despite the investigation into the saga being completed, but the DA has now called on Ndlovu to do something.
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What did the party want?
The party has called on Ndlovu to take action against Moyane and the implicated officials, saying that his silence was prolonging wasteful expenditure while Moyane earned a full salary sitting at home.
The party’s provincial education spokesperson, Annerie Weber, said that Mpumalanga taxpayers could not continue to pay salaries for an official who was sitting at home after being suspended.
“We want the Premier to resolve the Moyane suspension issue within three months. Since Moyane was suspended in May this year, we demand that the premier resolve this matter before the end of August,” she said.
Weber noted that the forensic investigation into the scandal implicated eight other officials, but the final report was yet to be publicly released.
DA may approach the Public Protector
Weber added that the party was considering approaching the Public Protector if the Premier didn’t act within three months. She stated that the Public Service Act limits suspensions to three months, unless it was extended under strict conditions.
“If the premier fails to resolve this matter by August, the DA will pursue it with the Public Protector,” she added.
Source: Twitter
Why is Moyane suspended?
The Education HoD was suspended following an investigation into the laptop scandal. The investigation found that there were gross procurement irregularities and alleged dishonesty in the deal. Her suspension came shortly after she returned from leave.
The provincial government also moved to red-list BoTau Technologies, the company that supplied the laptops. It was found that the company delivered lower-spec models and charged nearly double the estimated resale price.
How did South Africans react to the DA’s statement?
Social media users were divided by the news, with some noting the problems within the Government of National Unity (GNU).
@Jikingqina asked:
“Why is she not fired?”
@MangweniTech said:
“DD is gone, and Mpumalanga is burning.”
@Evena6M73574 added:
“But they don't put pressure on Cyril Ramaphosa to fire the suspended Minister of Police.”
Zeb Jangili said:
“There’s opposition within government. That’s wonderful. At the same time, the ANC pretends like it won by 70%.”
Samson Kampies claimed:
“The GNU is a scam.”
Investigation finds that supplier knowingly overcharged department
Briefly News reported that Ndlovu released the findings of an investigation into R2 million spent on 22 laptops.
The investigation found that the supplier knowingly provided the department with lower-spec laptops and overcharged them.
South Africans reacted to the findings, but didn’t believe that anyone would be punished for the scandal.
ANC remains committed to GNU despite challenges, considers making changes
In similar news, Briefly News reported that the African National Congress is considering making changes to the Government of National Unity (GNU). Formed on 14 June 2024, the GNU is a coalition of 10 South African political parties which came together after the 2020 National Elections. The coalition was formed after no party won a majority in the elections, forcing parties to band together to run the country.
Speaking during his closing address of the ANC’s National Executive Committee in Germiston on 4 August 2025, Ramaphosa said that the party had not changed its stance that setting up the coalition was the best option for the country. He acknowledged that the GNU had experienced teething issues, but said that the NEC also identified a number of areas where there was substantial progress.
Source: Briefly News
