Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Member’s Interests is yet to decide if it will continue with an investigation into Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Chief Whip Floyd Shivambu.
The complaint, laid by the DA, deals with Shivambu’s role in the VBS Mutual Bank matter.
The committee expects to complete the matter before the end of the 5th Parliament.
The Democratic Alliance’s Phumzile van Damme laid the complaint against Shivambu earlier this week.
Shivambu has been informed of the complaint, and now he will be given an opportunity to respond.
Following that, the committee will decide to go ahead with the investigation or not.
Also a case of assault against Shivambu, is already being investigated by the committee.
The committee expects to conclude both matters and others before the Parliament’s term ends.
Co-committee chairperson, Omie Singh says:”The complaints that we have at the moment we will be able to finish before the end of the fifth parliament. But if the ethics committee does not stop receiving complaints before the elections, we won’t be able to investigate them.”
The pace at which the committee deals with matters, has been criticised in certain quarters.
But a former committee chair says caution and care have to go into the investigations, because the committee deals with politically sensitive matters.
Former MP Ben Turok says: “Most parties will take a fair amount of care about how they handle it because the political fallout is quite substantial. And it will reflect very badly on a party if a member has committed a serious offence. So it depends on the person, it depends on the seniority of the person and charges.”
The committee is also currently dealing with the matter of ANC MP, and former State Security Minister, Bongani Bongo.
Bongo is alleged to have tried to bribe the evidence leader of the Eskom inquiry.
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