Former mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane File picture: Kopano Tlape/GCIS Former mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane File picture: Kopano Tlape/GCIS
Parliament - The DA has accused the ANC during a heated argument in Parliament of trying to stop an intended inquiry to investigate allegations of influence-peddling against former mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane.
This comes after Parliament’s legal adviser told the committee on mineral resources that they could not meet with potential witnesses due to budgetary constraints.
DA MP James Lorimer said: “I will be blunt, there are one or two things happening here.
“Either there is a budget that has not been provided, or a political decision has been made behind closed doors to close down this inquiry.
“In the hope that it is the first, we request Parliament for budget. I don’t believe it is an oversight but an attempt to use procedure to shut down this inquiry, which I find unacceptable,” said Lorimer.
The committee took the decision to establish a full-blown inquiry after Zwane failed more than three times to appear before the committee to answer questions on state capture allegations.
Former Free State premier Ace Magashule and Zwane, the province’s former agriculture MEC, have been linked to a scheme to enrich the Guptas through the Vrede dairy farm.
Lorimer said the ANC under President Cyril Ramaphosa was prepared to do no more than sweep corruption under the carpet.
“The Ramaphosa administration has sought to portray itself as a new broom that will sweep away the abuses of the Zuma years. But by trying to sweep abuses under the carpet, it is clear that the reputation of the ANC is being put above the need to hold people accountable for criminal and ethically unacceptable acts that have ruined the reputation of South Africa’s mining industry and rendered it all but uninvestable,” said Lorimer.
The ANC denied the claims and insisted that the only reason it was against the inquiry was because Parliament did not have money for it.
ANC MP Motsoaledi Matlala said: “We are not hiding from this issue of an inquiry; the problem is we don’t have the money. Parliament does not have this money.
“We all have a mandate of five years; next year it's general elections. We will all be moved.
“The other issue is calling someone who is no longer an executive member before such an inquiry. It is not allowed by the law; I have consulted with legal minds. Let’s close this matter, we don’t have money,” said Matlala.
The committee resolved to seek a way forward from the National Assembly chairperson responsible for committees, Cedric Frolick.