DA to submit latest allegations against Vincent Smith to ethics committee

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said in a statement on Tuesday it would submit a supplementary affidavit to parliament’s ethics committee detailing the latest allegations against ANC MP Vincent Smith relating to payments he received from Bosasa.

Testimony from former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi at the Zondo Commission of inquiry into state capture detailed how Smith was allegedly paid R100,000 a month for influencing committees at parliament.

The DA said it first referred Smith to the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests in September 2018 when it emerged he allegedly received security upgrades and other benefits from Bosasa over a three-year period starting 2015.

Smith previously served as chairperson for the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, as well as the crucial Ad Hoc Committee on the Funding of Political Parties and the Joint Constitutional Review Committee. He is currently set to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee to introduce legislation amending Section 25 of the Constitution.

“The DA will also be laying further criminal charges against Smith, as well as new charges against former ANC MPs, Vincent Magagula and Winnie Ngwenya, all of whom served on the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services at a time when Bosasa was earning billions on contracts with the department.”

The party’s chief whip John Steenhuisen said it had now been five months since he first laid criminal charges against Smith and reported him to the Ethics Committee.

“Today I will be submitting a supplementary affidavit to the Ethics Committee containing the allegations tabled at the Zondo Commission yesterday. We will also be laying criminal charges against previous ANC MP’s, Magagula and Ngwenya.

“It is clear that the ANC-dominated Ethics Committee have every intention of stringing out the investigation into Smith until the dissolution of the 5th term of parliament, at the end of March this year. If we know one thing for sure, it is that the ANC coalition of corruption has zero political will to cleanse their ranks of the endemic filth they have become characterised by.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.