Rubben Mohlaloga.
The Portfolio Committee on Communications has resolved to recommend to Parliament that Communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane suspend the chairperson of the Independent Communications of South Africa (Icasa) and convicted fraudster Rubben Mohlaloga.
The recommendation follows a request by former Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete to institute removal proceedings against Mohlaloga after he was convicted of fraud in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court in January.Mohlaloga‚ along with five others‚ was accused of defrauding the Land Bank of R6-million when he was chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on agriculture.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the committee said it had initially resolved to recommend that Mohlaloga be removed from the Icasa council, but the National Assembly referred the matter back to the committee, following Mphlaloga’s intention to appeal.
Section 8 of the Icasa Act states a councillor may be removed from office on account of misconduct. Section 6 of the Act says a person may not be a councillor if at any time they been convicted of theft, fraud, forgery or uttering a forged document, perjury, an offence in terms of the Corruption Act, or any other offence involving dishonesty.
The Act further says that a councillor may be removed from office only on a finding to that effect by the National Assembly; and the adoption by the National Assembly of a resolution calling for that councillor’s removal from office.
The recommendation is in line with Section 8 of the Icasa Act, according to the committee.