President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended the Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Dipuo Peters.
Breached ethical code of conduct
On Friday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated that the suspension comes after parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests found that Peters breached the code of ethical conduct while she was minister of transport.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in writing, informed Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Ms Dipuo Peters of his decision to suspend her. The decision follows a sanction adopted by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests against the deputy minister.
“The committee found that Ms Peters had breached the Code of Ethical Conduct in her former portfolio as minister of transport. Consequently, Ms Peters was sanctioned and suspended for one term,” said Magwenya.
One month suspension without pay
Magwenya said Peters’ suspension will be without pay. It will become effective on February 28, 2024, and end on March 28 2024.
Last October, parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests deliberated on a complaint that was laid by Abdurrazack Achmat, Zukiswa Fokazi and #Unite Behind, a non-profit organisation (NGO), on September 12, 2022 for an alleged breach of the code by Peters.
Failure to appoint Prasa CEO
The complaint alleges that Peters was neglectful in her previous portfolio as minister of transport. This by failing to appoint a group CEO of the state entity Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
The complaint, among others, also alleged that Peters dismissed the Prasa board, chaired by Popo Molefe. She did so, seemingly because the Prasa board had uncovered R14-billion in irregular expenditure at the entity. It subsequently instituted investigations into corruption at Prasa.
As a result, parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests found that Peters breached the code of ethical conduct.
Items in the code of ethics that were breached
“Following deliberations, the committee found that the member’s failure to appoint a group CEO breached items 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the code. The member failed to act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in her. [She failed to] discharge her obligations, in terms of the Constitution, to Parliament and the public at large. …She did so by placing the public interest above her own interests when she failed to appoint a group CEO. This after the Prasa board had commissioned a recruitment process. [Her actions] resulted in a financial loss of R1,767 000.
“The committee also found that the member breached items 4.1.3, 4.1.4 and 4.1.5 of the code. This when she dismissed the Prasa board on the same day that Mr Molefe wrote to the Portfolio Committee on Transport. In Molefe and Others v Minister of Transport and Others (17748/17) [2017] ZAGPPHC, the High Court ruled this dismissal to be irrational, unreasonable, and unlawful.
Irregular use of Prasa buses
“Furthermore, the committee also found that the member breached item 4.1.4 of the code. This when she requested Prasa buses to be used by the ANC for celebrations on January 8 2015. These were not paid for.
“As a result, the committee will recommend that the member be suspended from her seat in all parliamentary debates and sittings. Also from committee meetings and committee-related functions and operations.
