DA to report David Mahlobo to the Public Protector for lying to the House

17 November 2016

The DA will today write to the Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to report Minister of State Security, David Mahlobo, for deliberately misleading Parliament and the public.

Mahlobo yesterday told a bald-faced lie in the National Assembly when, responding to an oral question from DA MP, Prof Belinda Bozzoli, he stated that #feesmustfall student leader and criminally accused, Mcebo Dlamini, has never been to his home. He further suggested that the visit was not a fact and simply gleaned “from a newspaper article”.

Mahlobo seemed to forget that he himself revealed his relationship with Dlamini when, participating in a panel discussion hosted by the Institute for Security Studies on 14 November, he declared: “And I happen to know Mcebo [Dlamini]. He has been to my house several times.”

The minister has clearly deliberately misled Parliament and in so doing he has contravened the Executive Ethics Code. Section 2.3 (a) of the Executives Ethics Code states that “Members of the Executive may not wilfully mislead the legislature to which they are accountable”. I will, accordingly, lay a complaint with the Public Protector, by invoking the Executive Members Ethics Act.

By fibbing to the National Assembly, Mahlobo has joined President Jacob Zuma and Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Des van Rooyen, as the latest members of the Executive to tell blatant lies to Parliament.

The DA will further be moving a motion in the House today in order to censure Minister Mahlobo for deliberately misleading the House.

Considering how confidently Mahlobo lied about his relationship with Dlamini, one can only wonder whether his pained denial of his friendship with self-confessed criminal and rhino horn smuggler, Guan Jiang Guang, is similarly deceitful. According to a statement released by Mahlobo’s department on 13 November, “Minister Mahlobo is not a friend of Mr. Guang and has never visited him at his residence.” Oh, but hasn’t he?

It is now up to the new Public Protector to take Mahlobo and his cabinet colleagues to task over their habit of lying to Parliament. It has become a disturbing trend that needs to be stopped. The Executive must be reminded that they are accountable to the legislature and that lying to the House has consequences.

Issued by Mike Waters, Deputy Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance, 17 November 2016