©ParliamentofRSA
The Democratic Alliance on Monday said it welcomed the inquiry into allegations of sexual assault against the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
DA MP Michele Clark said a police investigation and a probe by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee was underway.
This followed reports that the Deputy Minister had allegedly sexually assaulted a male staff member.
Clark said the accusations against the Deputy Minister are very serious.
"The DA takes allegations of this nature very seriously and urges the committee to conclude an in-depth investigation as soon as possible and make their findings public," she said.
"The accusations of sexual assault against the minister are of serious concern and we hope the truth of the matter - whatever it may be - would be revealed soon."
The Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests confirmed that it had received the complaint against Dr Dhlomo.
"The work of the committee is guided by the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members' Interest for Assembly and Permanent Council Members especially clause 10.2.2 which sets out a clear procedure the committee must follow in investigating a complaint," it said in a statement.
"Furthermore, clause 10.2.1 enjoins the committee to deal with any complaint guided by the principle of promptness, fairness, and consistency.
"The complaint was officially tabled in a scheduled meeting of the committee held on 20 October 2023. During this meeting, the committee decided to consider the matter through the establishment of a subcommittee as per clause 10.7.5 of the Code scheduled to sit in November to hear the matter.
"Furthermore, the committee is precluded by the code from making running commentary on a complaint."
