The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has upheld a dishonesty ruling against Ermelo MP Juliet Basson after dismissing her appeal and confirming her 12-month suspension, reports Highvelder News.

The party announced on Saturday (August 1) that its national disciplinary committee found Basson guilty of dishonesty by a majority decision after concluding she had made ‘materially contradictory representations regarding her whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding her illness’.

She was found not guilty on a separate charge of conduct prejudicial to the party.

The committee accepted that Basson had genuinely been ill and hospitalised and found no evidence that she had fabricated her illness. Those findings were considered mitigating factors when determining the sanction.

The appeal committee therefore dismissed Basson’s appeal against the finding of guilt on Charge 1, dismissed her appeal against the sanction, confirmed the 12-month suspension and refused her request for a hearing de novo (a fresh hearing from the beginning).

Facebook post sparked public attention

Earlier this year, Basson attracted public attention after publishing a Facebook post stating that she had contracted ‘Lyme disease’ from a spider bite.

The wording of the post was later edited to refer instead to a ‘Lyme-like disease’, matching terminology contained in medical documentation she later provided to Highvelder.

In its disciplinary statement, however, the PA did not identify the illness forming part of the disciplinary proceedings, saying only that the dishonesty finding related to contradictory representations regarding her whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding ‘her illness’.

Matter referred to founding members

In response to Highvelder’s request for comment, labour relations consultant and certified mediator Jako du Preez, acting on behalf of Basson, said the matter has been referred to the PA’s founding members in terms of the party’s constitution for what he said is a final and binding determination.

According to Du Preez, although the party’s internal appeal process has concluded, Basson is exercising a further internal constitutional remedy and disputes both the factual findings and aspects of the procedures followed during the disciplinary proceedings and appeal.

Du Preez added that Basson has reserved all her rights pending the founding members’ determination and said her decision not to comment publicly on the merits should not be interpreted as accepting the allegations, findings or sanction.

He said she chose to respect the party’s constitutional processes because public comment at this stage could prejudice that process and her right to have the matter considered independently and fairly.

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