Hlengwa among MPs facing reprimand in Parliament

STANDING committee on public accounts (Scopa) chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa is among the quartet of errant MPs who will be reprimanded in Parliament for the late filing of their disclosure of financial interests.

This comes after the joint ethics and members’ interest committee tabled a report announcing sanctions to the MPs from the IFP, ANC and EFF.

Committee co-chairpersons Bekizwe Simon Nkosi and Moji Lydia Moshodi said the code of ethical conduct and disclosure of member’s interests required parliamentarians to disclose their registrable interests annually by November 30.

“If a member has no registrable interests, a ‘nil’ return must be submitted,” they said.

Nkosi and Moshodi said an MP breached the code if they contravened or failed to comply with the requirements of the provisions for disclosing interests.

“Of the 454 members who are required to submit their disclosures, four members failed and/or neglected to submit their disclosures by the due date,” they said.

The report said Hlengwa submitted his disclosure of interests form on December 9.

When a letter was sent to him in March this year, Hlengwa blamed administrative error by staff assigned to attend to his parliamentary administrative function.

“The member apologises for his late disclosure. He indicates that he respects the work of the committee in its administration of the code and again apologised for the late disclosure,” reads the report.

When Hlengwa was asked to make written representations on the sanction to be imposed, he requested a salary reduction not exceeding 30 days.

His colleague Mzamo Buthelezi was found to have submitted his disclosure of interests form on December 2.

A letter was addressed to Buthelezi on March 18 and he had claimed that he had submitted his forms on time.

“It was then brought to his attention that his form was incomplete. Once it was brought to his attention that his forms were incomplete he duly completed the forms and submitted it,” reads the report.

Buthelezi apologised and pleaded “honest omission” from his side.

ANC MP Ponani Makhubele submitted her disclosure of interests form on December 7.

When Makhubele was sent a letter in March this year, she claimed the forms were emailed to an email address she no longer used and that the email was directed to a spam folder.

The EFF’s Brenda Mathevula was found to have submitted her disclosure of interests form on December 1.

She had claimed that forms were emailed to her in PDF format but was told she should submit in the proper format.

“The member then submitted again but the email didn’t go through because of the power failure in the area.

“The office records show that the first email with the PDF document is dated December 1, 2021, after the deadline,” reads the report.