Ethics committee finds Pule guilty
The former minister of communication, who hails from the Lowveld, found to have misled the panel investigating her.
NELSPRUIT – Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interests found Ms Dina Pule, former minister of communication, guilty on the charges against her on Wednesday.
Pule, who was born in Bushbuckridge, served as the Mpumalanga MEC for culture sport and recreation in 2008 and 2009. In June, the president Mr Jacob Zuma removed her as minister.
The Hawks recently confirmed that they were investigating charges of corruption against her. Pule’s boyfriend, Mr Phosane Mngqibisa, allegedly benefitted financially from the communications department and admitted being paid R6 million for and ICT Indaba held in Cape Town last year, while Pule’s disclosures were incomplete.
He also allegedly accompanied Pule on official trips as her life partner while she denied being in a relationship with him. The parliamentary committee on ethics found Pule caused
improper benefits to be afforded to Mngqibisa on the basis of his relationship with her, wilfully misled the panel and breached the executive members’ ethics code.
The committee docked a month’s salary from Pule and withdrew her parliamentary privileges for 15 days. She is to be publicly reprimanded in parliament by Mr Max Sisulu, the
speaker, for which she is required to be present.
The committee recommended that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the police investigate the matter further.
