The 20 EFF MPs found guilty of charges stemming from their heckling of President Jacob Zuma over his Nkandla home will not plead in mitigation of their sanctions.

“The EFF is not moved, neither is it bewildered by the verdict of this [Parliament’s powers and privileges] committee because its whole work was purely political and a mere fulfilment of the ANC mandate,” said the party today.

“The EFF will further not appear for the mitigation of sanctions because it has from the beginning rejected the whole process as illegitimate and in violation of principles of natural justice.

“The EFF will await the committee to table its report to the plenary of the National Assembly where it will challenge its legitimacy, failing which it will take the matter to court.”

The committee found Economic Freedom Fighters Chief Whip Floyd Shivambu and his colleague Mpho Ramakatsa guilty of seven charges each, and EFF leader Julius Malema and the party’s spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi of four charges each.

The rest of the group, who chanted “pay back the money” at Zuma in the National Assembly during presidential question time on August 21, were found guilty of between one and six charges, committee chairperson Lemias Mashile said earlier today.

“It has been a lengthy discussion on Monday that took us into the night. Eventually the committee reached a conclusion that the charges that the 20 members of the National Assembly are facing have been proved and these charges stick to them and they are found guilty on those charges,” Mashile told reporters.

These charges ranged from refusing to obey an order by the Speaker to sit down or leave the chamber, to creating a disturbance in Parliament and interfering with the functions of the legislature.

Mashile said the EFF MPs would be given an opportunity on Friday to plead in mitigation of sentencing.

The party said Malema made it plain that his party refused to take any part in the disciplinary process, in a submission read to the committee on October 7.

Mashile declined to set out the punishment that could be imposed on the EFF’s members, but according to the parliamentary rules it includes suspension from the legislature for 14 working days.

– Sapa

JOHANNESBURG –Two police officers were robbed of of their firearms and shoved into their own police van by three armed men in Rabie Ridge, Midrand.

Footage was distributed over social media, showing two officers being approached by the trio in broad daylight, while sitting at a mobile police station.
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North West MEC for Social Development Fenny Gaolaolwe on Tuesday said her department is pleased to receive unqualified audit opinion on predetermined objectives according to the Auditor General’s findings.

“Our department was one of the 61 departments which were audited during the financial year that ended in March this year. We are so humbled by this achievement and we intend to keep up the good work going forward, Gaolaolwe said, adding that her department has also received unqualified audit opinion on annual financial statements.

Gaolaolwe said, despite the achievement, her department is still required by the Auditor General to adjust some misstatements and strengthen its internal controls to achieve a sustained clean administration.

The department’s financial indicators were assessed on areas such as budget management, expenditure management, revenue management, asset and liability management, cash management and grant management.

Gaolaolwe expressed her profound thanks to the senior management and staff in the department and encourage them to sustain the good record and accelerate service delivery in the implementation of the annual service delivery plan.

“While we are obliged to render services to our communities we are equally required to do so in accordance with the relevant legislations such as Public Finance Management Act and other departmental policies. This also calls for the observance of our internal controls,” Gaolaolwe said.
-TDN
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