The Democratic Alliance will refer communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda to the Public Protector. It wants the government watchdog to investigate tenders that Nyanda may be involved in.

The DA’s shadow minister for communications, Niekie van den Berg, says the DA will decide later on Friday when it will approach the Public Protector.

The DA’s decision follows reports of tensions between Nyanda and communications department director-general Mamodupi Mohlala.

According to Business Day, Mohlala refused to sign off on tenders that would have benefited associates of the minister’s. The newspaper reported on Thursday that Nyanda would suspend the director-general.

However, the department has denied the allegations, calling them “false, spurious and malicious”.

Talk of tension between the minister and the director-general has been swirling for several weeks already, with TechCentral hearing of concerns by Nyanda over the department’s reconsidering of digital terrestrial television broadcasting standards.

Van den Berg says he has also noticed tensions between Nyanda and Mohlala.

He says he is pleased the minister has denied the allegations. However, he says Nyanda’s links to a Transnet tender scandal means all tenders involving the department need to be reevaluated.

Van den Berg says no political leader should be allowed to use political power for financial gain. “It is unfair on the citizens of SA,” he says. — Candice Jones, TechCentral