NELSPRUIT – Last week the ANC condemned death threats against members of parliament. Mr Jackson Mthembu, the party’s spokesman, said in a statement on Friday, that these had been made against Mr Ben Turok, chairman of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests, and Mr Fazela Mahomed, the registrar.
The committee had been investigating Ms Dina Pule, former minister of communication. “We view these threats in a serious light as they are clearly calculated to undermine the authority of parliament and its functional organs and paralyse a parliamentary sanctioned process,” Mthembu said.
On Wednesday the committee found she has caused improper benefits to be afforded to her boyfriend, Mr Phosane Mngqibisa, on the basis of his relationship with her. They also found she wilfully misled the panel and breached the executive members’ ethics code.
Mngqibisa allegedly benefitted financially from the communications department and admitted he was paid R6 million for and ICT Indaba held in Cape Town last year. He also
allegedly accompanied Pule on official trips as her life partner while she denied being in a relationship with him.
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.
Pule, who served as the Mpumalanga MEC for culture, sport and recreation in 2008 and 2009, was removed as minister by the president Mr Jacob Zuma in June. The Hawks recently confirmed that they were investigating charges of corruption against her.
Mthembu called on the police to investigate the death threats and bring those behind them to book. “This disregard for lawful processes and malicious interference with parliamentary
process must not be tolerated so that parliament and parliamentarians can discharge their work and responsibilities without fear or favour,” he said. “We want to take this opportunity to commend parliament and the ethics committee for having acted decisively to restore the integrity of our parliament.”
He warned that, should it we discovered that those behind the threats were part of the ANC, the organisation would not hesitate to take action against them.
