ANC STATEMENT ON ETHICS COMMITTEE REPORT ON CDE DINA PULE

The African National Congress welcomes the work done by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee on the hearings relating to the former Minister of Communications, Comrade Dina Pule. The thoroughness with which the Committee conducted its work and its imposition of the harshest sanctions available must send a clear message to all public representatives and society as a whole of the intolerance of Parliament to impropriety and misconduct within its ranks.

The National Assembly, by adopting the report this afternoon, has set a precedent which we trust all our legislatures will follow, to act decisively against any transgression by any of its members thus protecting and safeguarding their integrity and the confidence of the people in our institutions. In pursuance of this objective, the African National Congress would support a move to review the sanctions available to Parliament and the Legislatures to deal with misconduct, ensuring that they indeed serve as a strong deterrent to any prospective offenders.

The African National Congress acknowledges the gravity of the allegations against Comrade Dina Pule. Consequently, the ANC will closely follow the processes to unfold as recommended by the National Assembly including amongst them the referral of the matter to our law enforcement agencies.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, August 20 2013

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