Africa-Press – South-Africa. Members and supporters of commuter activist group #UniteBehind laid a complaint at Parliament against six MPs, including Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, on Wednesday.
They said the MPs have led to the collapse of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and must be held to account.
#UniteBehind wants the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests to summon the six MPs to account for their involvement in Prasa’s “slide into almost total ruin”.
It also wants the committee to take disciplinary action against them, and to suspend or expel them from serving as MPs.
#UniteBehind said these MPs have “through their acts and omissions … facilitated and enabled state capture and corruption through a failure of their ethical and legal duties of care”.
It added Buthelezi in particular, currently the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, directly benefitted from corruption at Prasa.
“It’s just not working for us, and we as commuters need to take charge,” said Sheila Arendse, a commuter and #UniteBehind supporter.
“We have a committee that’s supposed to hold MPs accountable, but they’re not doing their job.
“Sometimes they’re doing the opposite – going out of their way not to hold the MPs accountable. The sad irony is that now we’re having to watch the watchdog body,” said Reverend Alan Storey.
#UniteBehind’s complaint to Parliament’s Ethics Committee
At Parliament, #UniteBehind handed over its formal complaint to Collen Mahlangu, a procedural advisor at the National Assembly, who was to pass it along to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as well as Moji Moshodi and Qhude Nkosi, the co-chairpersons of the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests.
#UniteBehind’s complaint, a 46-page affidavit deposed by Zackie Achmat, refers to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 24 June letter to the Ethics Committee, which urged it to engage with the recommendations of the state capture report immediately, and not to wait for the president to issue a plan.
According to Achmat, #UniteBehind’s complaint drew on a mass of evidence of criminality at Prasa that has been perpetrated and enabled by these MPs, including from the Zondo report, the Public Protector’s reports, investigations by law firm Werksmans and judgments in cases such as Swifambo and Siyangena, as well as #UniteBehind’s own work.
“It’s sad that we’re having to force this body to do its job” said Zukiswa Vuka of #UniteBehind.
She added despite the “encouraging” arrests of former Transnet executives Anoj Singh and Brian Molefe, more should be done to get back the money from those responsible for looting state coffers.
“It’s a painful thing to do, to go to Parliament, and to demand that people who belong to a party that I spent many years in should be arrested, should be charged, and should be expelled from Parliament,” said Achmat.
“Parliament cannot dodge its responsibilities,” he added, giving the Ethics Committee 30 days to respond to #UniteBehind.
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