Equal Education claims it got fraudster Faku off committee chair list

Civil Rights lobby group Equal Education claimed yesterday it had won its battle to have the ANC’s proposed basic education portfolio committee chairperson Zukisa Faku removed from their list.

Equal Education had publicly demanded the withdrawal of Faku’s nomination, after it came to light that she had topped the governing party’s list to head up the committee.

Their objections centred around Faku’s fraud convictions, and other allegations of fraudulent activities.

Faku is the former mayor of Buffalo City municipality who was deployed to the National Assembly despite the fraud allegations against her.

She was convicted on nine counts of fraud emanating from her misuse of the metro’s official credit card and sentenced to three years’ house arrest and community service in 2016.

At the time of her conviction, she was already an ANC MP, but stayed on pending an appeal.

Her removal from the list of nominees to chair the portfolio committee came to light yesterday, but it was yet unclear exactly what prompted the decision.

The battle to have Faku removed started when Equal Education demonstrated outside parliament during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address on June 20, after the ANC had announced the list of members of the portfolio committee.

Equal Education general secretary Noncedo Madubedube, however, claimed the win, saying Faku’s removal from the list was a major victory for members of the organisation and for the pupils of South Africa.

Madudedube said this confirmed the importance of an active citizenry that paid attention to parliament and governance issues.

Madubedube added that they were encouraged that the ANC responded appropriately to the public outcry.

She said she hoped the ANC would continue to work on ensuring the government fulfilled their mandates with integrity.

Neither the ANC nor Faku could be reached for comment on her removal yesterday.

– sinesiphos@citizen.co.za

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