Icasa chairperson tight-lipped after committee demands his removal
INDEPENDENT Communications Authority of South Africa chairperson Rubben Mohlaloga refused to comment yesterday after Parliament demanded his immediate removal from the telecoms regulator.
This was after the portfolio committee on communications took a decision that Mohlaloga must not stay on as chairperson of Icasa following a court judgment that found him guilty of fraud.
Mohlaloga was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The case relates to the defrauding of the Land Bank a few years ago, when one of his co-accused was former Land Bank chief executive Phil Mohlahlane, who received a lesser sentence.
Mohlaloga said yesterday “the matter was handled by my lawyers.” He did not elaborate.
Mohlaloga was a member of the communications committee a few years ago, before he went on to join Icasa as a councillor and later became its chairperson.
The committee said Mohlaloga’s removal was in line with the Icasa Act.
Committee chairperson Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize said the Icasa chairperson needed to go now.
“Having deliberated on the issue of the chairperson of Icasa, the committee has once more emphasised that he should be removed as a chairperson and also removed as council member of Icasa, as it is in the Act of Icasa that a person who is found guilty cannot hold the position of councillor,” said Mkhize.
She said the committee took this decision earlier, but allowed him to stay pending his representations to the committee.
In the representations Mohlaloga said he was going to appeal the conviction.
But MPs said Mohlaloga had to go as the Icasa Act did not allow a convicted person to serve on the council.
The case had been dragging on for almost 10 years in the Special Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, where Mohlaloga, Mohlahlane and another accused faced fraud charges.
However, last year they were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms.
The former ANC MP would now wait for the appeal of his conviction.
During the judgment it was found that the three men defrauded the Land Bank of R6 million.
However, Mohlaloga yesterday did not indicate whether he would challenge the decision of the committee to remove him, or would immediately step down in compliance.
Icasa reports to the committee and other public entities in the communications sector, including the SABC. SOUTH Africa’s political parties have until today to comply with the Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) requirements, such as paying a deposit and forwarding candidate lists.
Yesterday, the IEC said South Africans would know which political parties would be contesting the May 8 general elections after 5pm today.
“As at 9am yesterday, 22 political parties had paid deposits and 12 submitted candidate lists.
“About 34 parties had indicated their intention of contesting,” the IEC said. THE Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) – which is against e-tolls – yesterday called on the government to investigate other policy options available to service the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project bonds.
The suggested options include the renegotiation of debt with the Public Investment Corporation and reassessment of the budget reallocation by Treasury to cover the money owed.