Icasa’s chair faces axe after conviction
CONVICTED fraudster Rubben Mohlaloga is facing the axe after it was resolved that he be removed as chairperson and a councillor of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) board.
Parliament’s communications portfolio committee resolved yesterday to recommend to the National Assembly that Mohlaloga, a former ANC Youth League deputy president, be removed from the board.
In January, Mohlaloga was convicted with three others of defrauding the Land Bank of R6 million meant for poor, black emerging farmers in 2008. The crime was committed when Mohlaloga was chairperson of Parliament’s agriculture portfolio committee.
When he was convicted two months ago, then communications minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane notified the National Assembly of the court outcome and asked for a process to remove him.
Speaker Baleka Mbete then asked the committee to institute his removal. Mohlaloga was asked by the committee to make a representation on why he should not be removed.
Briefing the committee, parliamentary legal adviser Fatima Ebrahim said Mohlaloga had sent a transcript of the court judgment and indicated that he would appeal the conviction when he was sentenced on April 4.
Ebrahim said Mohlaloga confirmed in his court testimony that he was chairman of the agriculture portfolio committee. “Mr Mohlaloga also confirmed that he did indeed receive some money from the R6 million, but he testified that these payments actually constitute a loan,” she said.
“He confirmed he did not sign a loan agreement. At the time the matter was on trial, he had not paid any of the money back.”
Mohlaloga had used the money to buy himself two BMW vehicles.
Ebrahim said the former youth leader has asked to be placed on precautionary suspension with full pay while he was appealing the conviction.
Mohlaloga, she said, had accused the committee of negating his representation to it, saying the outcome of the committee process had been predetermined.
“He asks further opportunity to supplement the representation,” Ebrahim said.
The DA’s Phumzile van Damme said Mohlaloga was no longer fit to hold office and was disqualified from that in line with provisions of the Icasa Act.
“If he is unhappy with Parliament’s decision to remove him from office, he has the option to take that on judicial review,” Van Damme said.
Committee chairperson Humphrey Maxegwana said: “Our role is we are sticking to what we are supposed to do as Parliament.”
Maxegwana said they would not keep someone on who was now disqualified by the law. “Besides, we said he must make a representation.”
Cope’s Willie Madisha said the party supported the removal process.