Reports have surfaced that Kitchener-Conestoga NDP candidate Riani de Wet was fired by provincial government in South Africa in the 1990s for corruption and mismanagement of her portfolio.

According to an article published by City Press, a publication in South Africa, de Wet, a member of the executive council for the North West province, was fired for spending 10,000 rand to go to a Joe Cocker concert with her friends in 1994. The article mentions that de Wet was 27 at the time.

City Press’ article, which was published in 2017, adds that in 1995, North West Premier Popo Molefe fired de Wet for “mishandling negotiations for the retirement packages” for ex-staff of Bophuthatswana Broadcasting Corporation staff. In addition, staff in Mofefe’s office said de Wet was fired for “corruption” evidenced by the concert event.

The 10,000 rand is equivalent to approximately 41,000 in 2019, with inflation. With conversion, that is equal to about $3,640 in Canadian dollars as of Oct. 17, 2019.