Dang sparks new ire by firing ‘truth-telling’ clerk
● Controversial Pan-African Parliament president Roger Nkodo Dang has dismissed the institution’s clerk for confirming Dang’s abuse of funds to the Sunday Times.
The dismissal has put Dang at odds with other members of the parliament, including his deputy, Julius Masele. They have called on Dang to withdraw the dismissal as the organisation’s rules were not followed.
In the dismissal letter sent on Monday, Dang accuses Vipya Harawa of talking to the Sunday Times without his permission.
“You have been holding interviews with the media without my permission as per AU SRR, rule 5.3 9(a) and (c) and accusing me of impropriety and not even defending the organisation’s image, which is being tarnished by numerous anonymous letters and media publications being sent around with your negative comments on them.”
Dang also claimed that he was cancelling Harawa’s contract for “nonsatisfactory performance”.
Harawa said Dang’s accusations were false. “Even if they were true, the president is not allowed to dismiss anyone arbitrarily. There are rules and due process to be followed.”
A few weeks ago Harawa confirmed to the Sunday Times that Dang stayed in an upmarket R80 000-a-month house in Pretoria, despite an offer of accommodation from the South African government.
This caused an uproar among members, who said this was “blatant abuse of office by the president”.
The Sunday Times is in possession of correspondence between members of the parliament in which they accuse Dang of removing Harawa for
“personal interest”. They wrote to the AU to raise their concerns, and this was followed by a scathing letter to Dang from his deputy, Masele.
“As vice-president responsible for human resource and administration of the organisation, I would have been informed in advance about whatever wrongdoing the clerk had committed and steps that were being contemplated,” Masele wrote.
He advised Dang to withdraw his letter terminating Harawa’s contract and instructed him to follow correct legal procedures. “I think such steps would serve the image of our noble institution very well in line with the principles of good governance and rule of law that our parliament embraces,” Masele wrote.
In the exchange, some members of the parliament say they believe Harawa was being victimised for being honest in response to Sunday Times questions three week ago. Harawa confirmed to the Sunday Times that Dang turned down a Mercedes-Benz EClass offered by the Department of International Relations and ordered the parliament to provide him with a Mercedes-Benz ML SUV.
Harawa also confirmed that Dang has two chefs and two cleaners, paid for by the AU. Harawa told the Sunday Times that Dang had booked himself into a luxurious Sandton hotel “for the better part of 2015 and 2016”. One member of the parliament said: “Roger felt that the clerk failed to protect him by telling the Sunday Times the honest truth.”
Dang has been accused by members of the parliament of exploiting his position for his own gain.
“Roger sees our noble institution as a vehicle of self-enrichment and has been running the Pan-African Parliament like his own spaza shop,” said one.
“This man has no moral authority to be the president of our parliament.”
Questions sent to Dang via WhatsApp were apparently read, but Dang but failed to answer them.