By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former minister and ex-transport committee chairperson Mosebenzi Zwane is suspended for an entire parliamentary term for having negotiated the Gupta-linked Tegeta coal mine acquisition.
The joint committee on ethics and members’ interests found that Zwane contravened the code of ethical conduct and disclosure of members’ interests.
Committee has recommended several sanctions against Zwane following a five-year investigation into a litany of allegations of impropriety levelled against him.
Chief among the sanctions is for Zwane to be suspended from his seat in parliamentary debates for one parliamentary term.
This penalty is due to his participation in the sale of Optimum Coal Mine to Tegeta, a Gupta-owned firm.
Should the National Assembly accept the recommendation, Zwane will not participate in debates until the current parliamentary term ends in May 2024.
The recommended penalty goes beyond the normal reprimand – a 30-day suspension or a fine equal to 30 days’ salary.
The Gupta family’s acquisition of Optimum Coal Mine was mired in allegations of political interference. Zwane travelled to Switzerland to meet with Glencore bosses to lobby for the sale of the mine to an entity owned by the politically connected Gupta family.
Power utility Eskom made a R1.68-billion coal pre-purchase payment to Tegeta Exploration and Resources, a Gupta-owned entity that was used to buy the mine.
According to the committee, Zwane breached the Code of Conduct.
“In this regard, the member failed to act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in him and failed to maintain public confidence and trust in the integrity of Parliament and thereby engender the respect and confidence that society needs to have in Parliament as a representative institution,” the report read.
The committee made no finding that Zwane was appointed at the behest of the Guptas, but he appointed business allies of the Guptas as his advisers.
Zwane is already on “step aside” in the ruling ANC since he was charged with fraud and corruption in a case related to the Vrede dairy farm scandal.