Publications
Partners
The ANC Youth League was first out of the blocks on Tuesday to use Parliament’s register of members’ interests, which was made public a day before Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech, against him.
The league recently accused Gordhan of protecting “white monopoly capital” and banks, and said he should be redeployed.
The register gives the public a glimpse of the extent of MPs’ financial interests, property and benefits such as trips and gifts.
Gordhan listed the most shares in several companies in his declaration of interests
These include shares in mining companies such as BhP Billiton plc, Remgro, Naspers and some of the big banks such as Nedbank, Standard Bank, Absa and First Rand. The value of the shares range from about R6 000 to more than R200 000. Gordhan has however consistently declared these shares on annual basis, but this year his critics, including the league, were using it against him.
Njabulo Nzuza, secretary-general of the youth league, told Media24 that the size of the share amounts doesn’t matter.
“The shares raise serious questions about someone who can’t be both referee and player at the same time. We sitting with a financial sector with criminality. We have been asking him [Gordhan] to act against these elements for a while now. Is this the reason [that he hasn’t taken action]? That he has interests in the very institutions that he should be overseeing? He must be redeployed.”
On the face of it, the register also “disproved” claims by the Economic Freedom Fighters that Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane owned a R40-million house in Sandhurst in Johannesburg.
Mokonyane listed just two properties – in Krugersdorp and Kagiso.
Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara, acting registrar of members interests, said the Parliament’s committee for ethics and members interests dealt with and ensured that members disclosed their interests as required, but it simply did not have the capacity to proactively police whether the interests had been correctly reflected. Members of the public could however lodge complaints and object, and these could be investigated.
Other ministers’ disclosures – such Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen and Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, who has been implicated in allegations of state capture – was significantly “thinner” on detail.
Zwane for example had apart from a piece of land in Warden, no gifts, sponsorships, paid trips or contracts to declare.
Van Rooyen declared directorships in five private companies, as well as a bag worth R500, which he received from the municipal association Salga.
Quite a few opposition MPs declared trips to Taiwan, which were financed by the Taiwan government.
This after an uproar earlier this year over Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga’s visit to Taiwan. In some ANC quarters it was regarded as “treason”.
South Africa’s subscribes to a One China policy, and doesn’t regard Taiwan as an independent country.
DA MP Stevens Mokgalapa, went on such a visit, and he also declared an iPod, which he received as a gift from the authorities.
Inkatha Freedom Party MP Narend Singh was also in Taiwan for the inauguration of its president, and DA MP James Vos also declared a visit to Taiwan.
 |
| ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
