PHUTI MOSOMANE
EFF Deputy President and Chief Whip Floyd Shivambu has requested the National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to suspend Richard Dyantyi and the ANC Chief Pemmy Majodina following allegations of bribery.
The MPs are alleged to have solicited a bribe from the Public Protector Advocate Mkhwebane, through her husband David Skosana.
A case has since been lodged with the South African Police Services (SAPS) and “there is prima facie evidence to support these claims, including verifiable WhatsApp communications between Skosana and Joemat-Peterson,” Shivambu said in a letter.
“It has come to our attention that the Chairperson of the Committee on Section 194 Enquiry, Richard Dyantyi, member of the Committee, Tina Joemat-Peterson, and the Chief Whip of the Majority Party, Pemmy Majodina, have been implicated in serious allegations of impropriety.”
Shivambu also said the allegations are of a nature that threatens to severely undermine the credibility of Parliament and undermine the work of Section 194 Enquiry (charged with the responsibility of establishing whether Public Protector Advocate Mkhwebane is fit to hold office).
“Given the gravity of the allegations, and in the interest of preserving the credibility and integrity of our Parliament,” Shivambu wrote, “I hereby request that the aforementioned members be asked to recuse themselves from the Committee on Section 194 Enquiry with immediate effect.”
“Furthermore, it would be prudent for these members to take a leave of absence from
the National Assembly while the investigation into these allegations is ongoing.”
He said the country’s democracy and the trust of the citizens’ Parliament “serve to rest on the transparency, fairness, and integrity of our actions.”
By suspending the accused,Shivambu said it will send a clear message to the public that Parliament is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has asked Mapisa-Nqakula to summon the police to reveal any preliminary investigation findings into claims made by suspended Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, over Dyantyi.
INSIDE POLITICS
