Parliament’s joint ethics committee has objected to an apparently contemptuous letter from African National Congress MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to the Registrar of Member’s Interests, Fazela Mahomed.
The letter dated February 11 was in reply to a request for further information following allegations that the ANC Women’s League president had failed to declare her business interests and monthly donations of R50 000 in the register of members’ interests.
The committee is investigating the allegations based on a complaint from the Democratic Alliance.
Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging MP Cassie Aucamp said at a committee meeting on Tuesday that the letter revealed contempt for the committee.
He was supported by ANC MP Jeremy Cronin who said its tone ”was extremely unfortunate”.
”We all have the obligation to uphold the dignity of this institution.”
However, it appeared Madikizela-Mandela was aggrieved because information had been leaked to the media.
”It may be a vain appeal, but the dignity and unity of purpose of this committee needs to be preserved,” Cronin said.
Committee chairperson Sister Bernard Ncube reminded committee members they had taken an oath of confidentiality and should not leak information to the media.
”I don’t condone anything in her letter, but sometimes we are the cause.”
The committee agreed a letter would be sent to Madikizela-Mandela objecting to the tone of her reply. It was also agreed — although not pursued further at the meeting — that the committee should investigate the source of the media leaks.
MPs resolved to ask Madikizela-Mandela for documentary proof of the ownership of the Winnie Mandela Family Museum, in the light of her claim that it belonged to her children and that she had no personal financial interest in it.
The committee also decided to get the court record of Madikizela-Mandela’s bail application to probe her claim that her lawyer had made inaccurate statements about her monthly expenditure.
In her letter to Mahomed, Madikizela-Mandela said the R50 000 donation claim was a result of ”nonsensical media speculative reports” based on her lawyer’s inaccurate statement to the court.
”Surely it is inconceivable even to an imbecile that I alone can consume groceries of R10 000 a month … is it really possible for anyone even the ‘supernatural Winnie’ to get donations of R50 000 a month?
”Lawyers throughout the world are known to argue anything to save their clients. I was not even aware that in their desperation to me out on bail they inferred this type of information.”
Madikizela-Mandela denied receiving any donations and said her bank account was open for inspection.
MPs were loath to pursue a recommendation from Mahomed that the committee appoint auditors to investigate whether Madikizela-Mandela had in fact received donations.
Mushwana was also against setting a precedent that members’ bank accounts should be open to the committee’s scrutiny, even though Madikizela-Mandela herself had volunteered.
The IFP’s Sybil Seaton questioned whether MPs should in fact serve on the ethics committee, and whether it was not time to reassess its composition in favour of independent members who were not parliamentarians. – Sapa