The ANC Youth League in Gauteng has called for immediate internal disciplinary processes to be initiated against MPLs Lesego Makhubela and Vuyo Mhlakaza-Manamela and former speaker, Ntombi Mekgwe.
This comes after allegations of corruption and political interference against the pair surfaced within the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
ANCYL’s Ashley Mabasa told Newzroom Afrika that these members have failed to account for their deployment at the legislature and as such, have brought the party into disrepute.
“These two members have been deployed by the ANC to do the work of the ANC. Their job at the legislature is to facilitate the accountability of the department. Their job is to do the oversight and hold the executive authority and the accounting officer accountable in terms of their spending whether they are meeting their targets in terms of them developing our society.
“We have found out that these two members are busy with other things. They are allegedly corrupting the institution of the legislature which is a law-making institution,” Mabasa said.
Mabasa’s comments come just days after the DA in the GPL demanded the immediate resignation of Mekgwe, Mhlakaza-Manamela, and Makhubela due to allegations of political interference.
“The actions of the then speaker Ntombi Mekgwe and other senior ANC officials to halt disciplinary processes into allegations of fraud and wasteful expenditure involving 32 employees and two MPLs, at the expense of the public purse, represent a gross abuse of power,” DA’s Solly Msimanga said last week.
Msimanga said the accused are part of a forensic investigation which found that these officials had prioritised party ambitions over holding fellow members accountable within the provincial legislature.
“The findings of the forensic investigation, initiated by former secretary Peter Skosana, clearly shows that senior ANC officials prioritised their party’s electoral ambitions over public accountability and good governance. Mr Skosana’s dismissal for his attempts to recover public funds is not only shameful but also indicative of how far the ANC is willing to go to protect those implicated in corruption.
“These three implicated members of the GPL must do the honourable thing and resign from their respective positions immediately. Their continued presence in these roles makes a mockery of the legislature’s responsibility to ensure accountability and transparency,” Msimanga added.
The Star