Former Transport Minister Dipuo Peters. Picture: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Veli Nhlapo
Parliament has resolved to suspend Small Business Development Deputy Minister Dipuo Peters for a parliamentary term for breaching the MPs’ ethics code.
Peters was found guilty by the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests for various transgressions committed when she was Transport minister.
The finding followed three complaints laid against Peters in September last year.
The Ethics Committee confirmed the sanctioning of Peters on three breaches of the ethics code last month .
It recommended that the former Transport Minister be barred from her seat in all parliamentary debates and sittings as well as committee meetings for one term, which usually runs for eight to 10 weeks according to Parliament’s 2023 programme framework.
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In a plenary session on Tuesday, the National Assembly resolved to adopt the committee’s report.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed that her suspension in all three breaches will run concurrently.
“The House will be informed of the implementation of the sanction,” the speaker told MPs on Tuesday.
In addition, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu will be docked nine days salary for breaching the ethics code.
Shivambu had failed to declare to the register of members’ interests the three payments totalling R180 000 he received from VBS Mutual Bank in 2017.
The Joint Committee on Ethics produced a report five years after the complaint was lodged in October 2018.
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Shivambu has since vowed to take the report on review.
The National Assembly adopted the report on Tuesday, with only the EFF objecting to the move.
“Honourable members will appreciate that in terms of the rules, there isn’t anywhere it determines when the sanction begins so I will inform the member when,” Mapisa-Nqakula further said.
One of the complaints against Peters related to her failure to appoint a group CEO for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
Her actions resulted in a financial loss of R1.7 million for Prasa which was paid to a recruitment company.
Another complaint related to her dismissal of Prasa board led by former chairperson Popo Molefe, seemingly because it had uncovered R14 billion of irregular expenditure and instituted investigations into corruption at the railway agency.
In 2017, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled Peters’ conduct in getting rid of the board and attempting to stop the investigations into Prasa corruption was irrational, unreasonable and unlawful.
The African National Congress (ANC) MP was also accused of failing to investigate claims of “R79-million of Prasa money paid by Swifambo to other people for alleged distribution” to the governing party, despite her duty to root out corruption.
Another allegation was that Peters approved the use of Prasa buses for ANC events during 2014 and 2015 without ensuring payment from the ANC.
Peters previously denied being involved in wrongdoing at Prasa during her tenure as minister between 2013 and 2017.
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