Member of Parliament representing the recently established Peace and Justice Congress (PJC), Farouk Cassim, has resigned with effect from Tuesday, according to National Assembly speaker Frene Ginwala.
Ginwala, who made the announcement from the chair in the Assembly on Tuesday evening, said Cassim’s position as deputy chairperson of committees in the National Assembly had also fallen vacant. The deputy chair of committees often plays a role in chairing sittings of the Assembly.
Cassim joined the newly established party during the recent defection period for national politicians in April this year — and left the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) to become the sole member of the PJC. He got the post of deputy chair of committees by virtue of the cooperation deal between the African National Congress and the IFP.
However, a disagreement with the party’s leader over the use of parliamentary funds and the list — which included his own daughter — to replace him in Parliament in the event of his death or resignation, has apparently led to his resignation.
The speaker did not, however, elaborate about the reasons for the resignation. – I-Net Bridge