Chairperson of the section 194 inquiry, Qubudile Dyantyi. File Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / African News Agency (ANA)
The Ethics Committee in Parliament has cleared the chairperson of the inquiry into the fitness of the Public Protector to hold office, Qubudile Dyantyi, on bribery allegations.
A complaint had been lodged against Dyantyi that he, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina and late MP Tina Joemat-Pettersson had tried to solicit a bribe of R600 000 from Busisiwe Mkhwebane, through her husband David Skosana, to make the inquiry go away.
Dyantyi and Majodina denied the bribery allegations against them.
Mkhwebane had lodged an application for Dyantyi to recuse himself from chairing the inquiry because of the allegations.
But Dyantyi refused to step down from chairing the inquiry, saying the allegations were unfounded.
The National Assembly will meet on Monday to vote on the decision to remove Mkhwebane.
In the report of the ethics committee, it cleared Dyantyi of allegations of bribery.
The acting registrar of members’ interests, advocate Anthea Gordon, wrote to Dyantyi, in a letter dated September 7, 2023, that the ethics committee dealt with the bribery allegations against him.
“The committee noted that the version of events offered by Mr Skosana to the SAPS which forms the basis of the complaint does not mention you. The audio recordings do not mention you. The WhatsApp messages do not link you to the allegation. The WhatsApp messages and audio recordings seem to have missing parts of communication between Ms Joemat-Pettersson and Skosana and therefore may not be a true reflection of the communication between them.
“The evidence before the committee does not provide a conclusion on probability that you solicited a bribe of R200,000 in respect of the section 194 inquiry. It also does not show that you breached the code. The committee found that the complaint is unfounded and that you did not breach the code. The committee report will be (published in parliament’s papers) accordingly for information purposes,” said Gordon.
Dyantyi had maintained during the application by Mkhwebane that he was not involved in the alleged bribery.
The UDM and the African Transformation Movement have written to the Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, asking for a secret ballot in the motion to remove Mkhwebane.
Parliament will need 267 members for the removal of the suspended Public Protector.
After the report is approved, it will be taken to President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign off on it.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics