JOHANNESBURG, May 29 (ANA) – The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday asked Speaker Baleka Mbete to appoint an ad hoc parliamentary committee to probe ties between President Zuma, Cabinet ministers and the politically-connected Gutpa family, party leader Mmusi Maimane said.
“Parliament is mandated by the Constitution to hold the executive accountable. For this reason, the DA has today requested that National Assembly Speaker, Baleka Mbete, establish an ad-hoc committee to fully probe the relations of captured ministers, the president and the Gupta family.”
Maimane further added that the DA had been in consultation with its lawyers over the possibility of laying criminal charges and that this process was now almost finalised.
Maimane said in a statement the fact that the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) had chosen to keep Jacob Zuma in power as President of South Africa was a serious crime against the people of South Africa.
Maimane said the decision on Sunday not to take action against Zuma despite a growing body of evidence of state capture once again illustrated that the ANC could not self-correct. “The ANC still supports Zuma. Jacob Zuma is the ANC, and the ANC is Jacob Zuma,” he said.
He said the DA believed that Zuma’s ANC government had given over control of the state to the Gupta family. “No one has ever voted for a Gupta in South Africa, but the ANC has allowed them full control of our nation and as such, they have violated the integrity of South Africa.”
According to the DA statement, the new state capture allegations which emerged on Sunday showed the extent of the rot. “Multiple cabinet ministers, public officials and the upper leadership of state-owned entities have been implicated in a criminal syndicate to control the resources of our country, for their own selfish benefit.
“While 9 million South Africans struggle every day without work, without hope, President Zuma and by extension, the ANC, has sold their hopes and dreams to profiteers,” Maimane added.
He said Parliament had the power to hold Ministers in the Executive to full account and must use it.
Maimane pointed to the latest allegations which emerged in the Sunday press and said that there was a need for a full Parliamentary investigation into at least five ministers with ties to the Guptas.
Maimane said the request for an Ad Hoc committtee to probe the allegations would necessitate a debate in the National Assembly, “in which we expect MPs to put South Africa first and to agree to establish this committee”.
“The powers of such a committee will include the power to summon any person to come and give evidence, and first of these must be the Guptas themselves.”
The DA leader added that he was satisfied that “sufficient criminal elements exist for the laying of charges, including grand corruption, undermining of state sovereignty and various statutory crimes, carrying serious prison terms”.
– African News Agency (ANA)
