Shaky meeting stalls cake probe yet again
New registrar under fire during investigation into Madikizela
APARLIAMENTARY investigation into DA Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela has stalled yet again after the new registrar for members interest had a shaky start to his first meeting.
Advocate Shawn Willemse was appointed to the position on December 1, but more than four months later held his first meeting last week where the ANC blasted him with claims that he broke the Western Cape Legislature’s code of conduct.
Tensions ran high and the meeting was later suspended after the ANC also went for new committee chairperson and DA MPL Mireille Wenger.
ANC chief whip Pierre Uys said Willemse communicated with Wenger months before she was appointed chairperson of the conduct committee.
“This is a breach of the code. Wenger was not a member of the committee, she was not the chairperson of the committee, but he (Willemse) went ahead and shared information with her while she requested time frames for when investigations would be completed. He even addressed her as honourable chairperson. That is completely wrong and we pointed this out to the DA,” Uys said.
According to a legislature announcement of September 22, Wenger was moved to the conduct committee and marked as the chairperson of the committee.
The committee has been charged with probing a lavish birthday party thrown for Human Settlements MEC and acting DA provincial leader Madikizela and whether his acceptance of a R3 000 birthday cake, which he failed to declare, breached ethical guidelines. Phumla Zantsi, a partner at Lawula Trading and Construction, contributed about R3 000 for the cake. It is also investigating claims against Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, DA chief whip Mark Wiley and ANC MPL Nomi Nkondlo.
When contacted, Willemse refused to answer questions and referred all the queries to the committee.
Wenger, in reply to questions, said: “The code of conduct and oath required of members of the conduct committee prohibit members of this committee from divulging any information disclosed to the committee and I therefore may not discuss nor share any information relating to the work of the committee with anyone, except when required of me to do as a witness in a court of law.”
Wiley said that despite having followed the proper parliamentary process to appoint a new committee chairperson, along with a parliamentary registrar, the ANC continued to question the integrity of these appointments, frustrating the committee’s ability to conduct its necessary investigative work.
“They boycotted the legal multiparty, and orderly process to appoint a new registrar last year. Under such circumstances, it is very clear that the ANC continues to deliberately, and unnecessarily, obstruct committee proceedings conducted in line with parliamentary rules,” Wiley said.