Parliament’s ethics committee will meet behind closed doors on Thursday to discuss Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota’s alleged failure to disclose certain business interests to Parliament, committee chairperson Luwellyn Landers said on Tuesday.
The meeting would be closed to the media in terms of the joint rules, he said.
Last week, opposition parties called for Lekota to be brought to book after it emerged that he had interests in a fuel distribution agency and a wine cellar in the Free State.
The Mail & Guardian newspaper reported on Friday that Lekota held shares in Prestprops, which trades as BZL Petroleum. The company distributes Caltex diesel products to farmers and businessmen in Harrismith and Bethlehem.
This brings Lekota uncomfortably close to the petroleum giant, seeing as he sits in Cabinet meetings that make decisions which affect fuel companies.
Lekota was also a director of the Landzicht winery in the province, and a director of the holding company, GWK Corporation. The Mail & Guardian reported that the wine company does regular business with the Free State government, an administration Lekota formerly headed. The company obtained funding from a national government agency to exhibit its products in three countries.
Lekota’s involvement in the businesses raises serious conflict-of-interest questions as he is arguably in the position to use his influence and has access to privileged information that could advance his business interests.
The Executive Members Ethics Act and the ministerial handbook require all ministers to disclose all their shares and directorships Failure to disclose has recently led to disgrace for former African National Congress Women’s League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni.
Both Yengeni and Madikizela-Mandela escaped Parliament’s censure after they resigned from Parliament in the wake of their separate fraud convictions earlier this year. Lekota reportedly admitted to having failed to declare his interests to Parliament as required by law.
The Mail & Guardian article quoted him as saying: ”It was my intention to disclose my interests. It is accurate that in practice I did not disclose.”
He told the newspaper he intended pulling out of the company.
The Democratic Alliance and the Freedom Front both called on the ethics committee to investigate the matter without delay.
Lekota’s spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi is on record as having said the Mail & Guardian report contained ”certain inaccuracies”. ‒ Sapa, Staff reporter
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