Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe (above) and Siyabonga Gama had been sworn in as MPs for Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe celebration. (Oupa Nkosi)
Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama had been sworn in as MPs for Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) celebration, alongside along with his longtime affiliate Mzwanele Manyi and former Prasa chief government Fortunate Montana.
Neither of the 4 had been on the celebration’s listing of candidates within the Could elections, however are taking on seats that grew to become vacant after the celebration ousted 15 members of the Nationwide Meeting earlier this month.
That purge continued a sample of strife within the celebration that’s now the official political opposition and sparked accusations of cronyism. Eight new MK celebration MPs in complete took the oath on Wednesday, together with Nompumelelo Gasa.
Molefe, Gama and Montana had been implicated in state seize through the Zuma period by the Zondo fee of inquiry.
Molefe faces fraud, corruption and money-laundering fees stemming from the inflated tender to acquire 1 064 locomotives to improve the logistics firm’s ageing fleet.
The Zondo fee discovered that Molefe was on the centre of the Gupta brothers’ looting of Transnet coffers. He’s due again in court docket together with former Transnet chief monetary officer Anoj Singh in October.
Gama was reinstated at Transnet Freight Rail per week after Molefe was appointed, regardless of having been fired for critical irregularities the earlier 12 months. The Zondo report discovered that after his reinstatement, Gama was “centrally concerned in key transactions that favoured the Gupta enterprise”. He additionally faces fees of corruption and money-laundering.
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The fee held that Montana directed who ought to obtain profitable tenders whereas he headed the Passenger Rail Company of South Africa between 2010 and 2015.
Manyi, a one-time director-general of labour who has of late served because the spokesperson for Zuma’s eponymous basis, grew to become an MK celebration MP after defecting from the Financial Freedom Fighters.
Democratic Alliance chief whip George Mikalakis stated the brand new MPs had been a humiliation to the legislature.
“These people should not appropriate to carry positions in a parliament that ought to uphold the rules of democracy and accountability with integrity at its core. Their presence on this physique serves as a transparent indication of how deep-rooted corruption has seeped into our political framework.”
Furthermore, he stated, those that voted for the MK celebration had not chosen them as representatives.
“The MK celebration’s resolution to amend their celebration lists, chopping and altering them at will, has undermined the very essence of democratic illustration.
“Voters had been unaware that they’d be represented by these people, as they weren’t included within the listing initially offered to the voters. This makes a mockery of our democratic course of, the place transparency and belief ought to be paramount.”