DA says there’s enough reason to suspend Hlongwa, Mahlangu

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says there is enough reason for the Gauteng African National Congress (ANC) to suspend its senior leaders Brian Hlongwa and Qedani Mahlangu.

The ANC’s Integrity Committee has recommended that they be suspension from the party and prevented from holding public office.

Hlongwa has been implicated in alleged corruption worth R1,2 billion while he was still Health MEC. He has since resigned as ANC chief whip in the Gauteng Legislature.

Mahlangu resigned as Health MEC in the wake of the Life Esidimeni tragedy in which over 140 mentally-ill patients died.

Hlongwa is no longer Chief Whip of the ANC in Gauteng, but remains an ordinary member of the provincial legislature, with all the benefits.

Just hours before the ANC was to announce that he can no longer hold public office, Hlongwa jumped ship, saying he did so because the eight yearlong corruption accusations against him were a distraction from the ANC’s work.

The EFF which earlier this year tabled a motion of no confidence against him says he did the right thing.

Simon Mofokeng, who was accused of sexually grooming a 14-year-old girl, stepped down from both his positions as Councillor and mayor of Emfuleni local municipality in the Vaal.

The DA’s Jack Bloem says, “I actually was sanctioned the only one who has been punished because of this was me. I was suspended for a week because I said how can he afford a house based, who could afford such an expensive house, this has gone on for quite a long time and the ANC has kept him in a senior position he’s been chief whip for 8 years and we’ve all known about the expensive house there has been tons of evidence in public.”