Cape Town – S’bu Ndebele today (April 19) refused to accept the R1-million Mercedes-Benz S500 given to him by Vukuzakhe contractors who collectively received R10-billion worth of business from the KwaZulu Natal government while he was transport MEC and premier of the province.

Announcing this at a press conference in parliament, the new minister declined to see this as an ethical example being set by a new incoming government.

He said he did not want to accept it because of the hassle it had involved him in.

He said the example set by President Nelson Mandela showed there was intrinsically nothing wrong with accepting such a gift.

Mandela was given a similar car by Mercedes in 1994, and BMW came up with a similar gift, which was also accepted.

“I’m not aware of them being given back,” he said.

Ndebele also said that in his culture it would have been deeply insulting to the givers to have turned down the gift right away.

“I wish to announce that after careful consideration of this matter and in discussions with my family, I have decided to voluntarily return the S500 Mercedes-Benz and the two cattle that I received … last Saturday,” Ndebele said.

He also promised to return the other gifts – a plasma TV screen, the petrol vouchers that went with the car, and some glassware and cutlery.

He suggested that the donors dispose of the gifts for the benefit of others participating in the emerging contractors’ programmes, to establish a training fund to assist other emerging contractors in the country, through the contractor growth development programme.

Ndebele consoled himself with the thought that as a minister he still qualified for about R1-million to be spent on buying him a new car for his exclusive use. – I-Net Bridge