ANC MPs’ salaries docked for failing to declare their financial interests

Several ANC parliamentarians were reprimanded in Parliament this morning and sanctioned for failing to declare their financial interests on time.

ALSO READ: ANC accused of ‘threatening democracy’ by cutting funds to smaller parties

The group of 11 MPs found themselves in trouble with the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests after failing to meet last year’s 30 September deadline.

Prominent names in the wrong

The list includes prominent MPs such as Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, ANC women’s league president Nokuzola Tolashe and the ANC’s youngest MP Itumeleng Ntsube who is 25 years old.  Some unconfirmed reports suggested ANC youth league president Collen Malatji was also on the list of those who were non-compliant.

The chairperson of the ethics committee Bheki Nkosi confirmed to The Citizen that the MPs were reprimanded on Tuesday morning and had their salaries docked.

The highest sanction the committee could give was docking 30 days’ pay but it appears that only one MP received the maximum punishment. The rest were docked below 30 days. This is because some of them were first time transgressors while others had rational explanations for missing the deadline.

“What the committee decided was that failure to meet the deadline was a serious transgression after members were constantly reminded, so we are allowed by the code of ethics to fine them accordingly. In respect of one person its one-month salary,” he said.

ALSO READ: ANC fires warning shots against defiant MPs planning to vote against Ramaphosa

Nkosi said the acting Speaker of Parliament Lechesa Tsenoli had approved the sanctions.

The importance of declarations for MPs

The committee stressed that the disclosure of registrable and financial information is crucial in holding individual Members of Parliament personally accountable. According to the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests, MPs must disclose their registrable interests annually at a time determined by the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests.

“The Speaker said the implementation of these would take effect immediately. As a committee we take the responsibility and duty to disclose members interests very seriously,” Nkosi said.

He stressed that it was important for parliamentarians not to abuse the confidence that the public has in them.

Of the 454 members who are required to submit their disclosures, 11 of them failed and/or neglected to submit their disclosures by the deadline date. The 11 members received their penalties in the National Assembly on 26 March 2024. The committee expressed disappointment over failure by that number of MPs to disclose by the deadline.

Some MP’s had cited forgetfulness while others had cited technological issues for failing to meet their declaration deadline.