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ANC will act, says Mbalula on bribery claims as Speaker tells Mkhwebane to lay complaint
The National Assembly Speaker has directed the suspended public protector to the Joint Committee on Ethics.
Suspended public protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, during the parliamentary inquiry into her fitness to hold office in Parliament on 25 August 2022. Picture: Gallo Images / Daily Maverick /Leila Dougan
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ruling party will take action if allegations of attempted bribery against its members are true.
It has emerged that three ANC members were being investigated by the police after a case of extortion was opened over the weekend.
ANC’s parliamentary chief whip, Pemmy Majodina, Section 194 Committee chairperson, Qubudile Dyantyi and former Cabinet minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson have been accused attempting to extort funds from Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane to make her Section 194 Inquiry into her fitness to hold office “go away”.
‘Heads will roll’
Speaking to the media following the ANC leadership’s visit to North West on Sunday, Mbalula described the allegations as “ghost”, saying the governing party was not aware of which members were implicated.
“[The journalist] writes a story and then he doesn’t mention names. The allegations are there… we don’t know what they are talking about, whether there is veracity in the whole thing, but [the allegations] says there were SMSes exchanged.
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“If there is any member of the ANC who would have done the things that has been reported, surely there would be action. Heads will roll definitely because we do not play. You go wrong, and we hit you. We hit you hard. The ANC will not hesitate to act,” he said.
Mbalula suggested that the allegations would further harm the reputation of the ANC’s reputation.
“We are concerned about the image of the ANC, which is why we took André de Ruyter to the cleaners. So any member of the ANC who is found on the report as reported, I can assure you it will not take a week, we will be on top of that person.”
Speaker rejects meeting request
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has advised Mkhwebane to formally file a complaint regarding the allegations.
MKhwebane has written to the Speaker asking for a one-on-one meeting to confidentially discuss the matter.
Mapisa-Nqakula, however, declined the request as it was important that she remained impartial and directed the suspended public protector to the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests.
READ MORE: Section 194 Inquiry at risk of collapsing after Parliament refuses to pay Mkhwebane’s legal fees
“The Speaker gave her the assurance that, in accordance with the Code [of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests], all documents, data, and evidence held by the registrar must be kept confidential,” Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said in a statement.
Mothapo indicated that the Joint Committee’s meeting will be closed off to the public and the findings will only be made available once the process has reached a conclusion.
“Given that the procedure for referring matters for investigation at the level of Parliament is clearly outlined in the code and on the website of Parliament, Advocate Mkhwebane did not need to meet with the Speaker to discuss it. It is important that the Speaker remains impartial throughout this process,” he added.
Majodina denies claims
Meanwhile, Majodina has dismissed the allegations, labelling the claims as “cheap destructive” reporting.
“I have not been called by any police. I don’t know when this thing happened and I am going to sue [the journalist],” she told SABC on Sunday.
“I mean dragging my name, I don’t even sit on that committee and this is not the first time with South African journalists. When this committee started its work, there was an article that I bribed ANC members with a million rand, that I must find Mkhwebane guilty.
“How do you bribe people who are on a fact-finding mission? So today, it’s me now who wants to end this case of Mkhwebane. I mean, how is that possible?”
New lawyers for Mkhwebane
The Section 194 Inquiry was postponed indefinitely almost two weeks ago in order to allow Mkhwebane to find new legal representation after Seanego Attorneys decided to drop the suspended public protector due to “professional reasons”.
The Office of the State Attorney has found new instructing attorneys for Mkhwebane so the inquiry can resume.
An ad hoc committee, which will handle the process of finding Mkhwebane’s successor, has since been established.
Mkwebane’s seven-year term in office ends in October, with the committee having been tasked to finish its work on 31 August.
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