NDZ campaign struggles to get rolling at parliament
ANC presidential contender Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has pledged to clamp down on corruption as part of her campaign.
But in her first week as an ANC MP, parliamentary security officers instead clamped down on her for illegal parking within the national legislature complex in Cape Town.
Parliamentary sources have revealed that security officers put the clamps on DlaminiZuma’s German sedan on Wednesday which was illegally parked close to the Poorthuis entrance to the national legislature.
Sources said members of her security detail claimed that the former minister of health, foreign affairs and home affairs was yet to be allocated official basement parking in parliament.
Dlamini-Zuma entered the parliamentary building before the encounter between her bodyguards and parliamentary security officers, so she did not witness the incident.
“I just saw a car and clamped it. It was a white BMW, I can’t even remember the model,” said one of the officials who handled the matter. “They had closed off the busy area of Poorthuis. Her three bodyguards claimed that she has not yet been allocated parking.” Another MP, who did not want to be named and also had his car clamped, said: “When I went to have it released at the parliamentary security office they told me it was the second car they had clamped that day. “The first had been Mrs Dlamini-Zuma’s car, however, they did not know it was hers. They had got into trouble with VIP security because it was her car and they had to immediately find the guy with the key to the clamp so that she could be on her way.”
However, Dlamini-Zuma’s office has denied the wheel-clamping incident.
Her media desk, Mandown Media, said: “We can confirm that Dr Dlamini-Zuma’s vehicle was not clamped for illegal parking. No fine was paid because no illegal parking took place and the car was not clamped.”
A R500 release fee is required before clamps are removed.
Parliament had not responded to requests for comment at the time of going to press.