Stop stalling on Pule Mabe investigation, Parliament told

A formal complaint has been lodged for Parliament to act speedily to investigate ANC MP Pule Mabe after he was implicated six weeks ago in irregularities at the embattled Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (Prasa).

DA chief whip John Steenhuisen sent a letter of complaint to the joint committee on ethics and members interests on Monday. To expedite the matter, he also distributed eight bound copies of the Public Protector’s report, Derailed, into irregularities at Prasa.

He said he had done so amid a City Press report this weekend that the ethics committee had been stalling on making a decision on whether to proceed because it would be “a hassle” to print Madonsela’s 387-page report for MPs.

According to Madonsela’s damning report, Mabe’s company KG Media was ”improperly” awarded a R33-million communication deal.

It was therefore “of grave concern” that about six weeks after Mabe’s “impropriety was brought to Parliament and the public’s attention”, that the committee had not yet decided whether to investigate Mabe, said Steenhuisen.

In his letter addressed to the ethics committee’s registrar, Fazela Mahomed, Steenhuisen says: “Honourable Mabe has and no doubt contradicted his title and tarnished Parliament’s reputation. I would be grateful if your committee could institute an investigation into this matter without delay and inform me of your deliberations thereon”.

ANC Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said that complaints needed to be dealt with “in a reasonable time”.

The committee was dealing with a number of issues, including the ANC’s complaint against so-called “DA sex pest” MP Archibold Figlan, who was found guilty of sexual harassment by the DA. He remains the DA’s deputy shadow minister of home affairs.

“We are exercising our patience regarding this complaint,” said Mothapo.

Mahomed said she was not authorised to comment, and referred Media24 to the committee’s chairperson Amos Masondo and co-chair, Aumsen Singh. Both had not responded to queries at the time of filing this report.