Picture: for illustration purposes
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has publicly declared its support for the recent Ethics Committee Report. This report unveiled that Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president, Floyd Shivambu has transgressed the Code of Ethical Conduct along with the protocols guiding Members' Interests Disclosure.
The DA's Chief Whip, Siviwe Gwarube, accentuated that complaints about Shivambu's ethical conduct were initially lodged by the DA back in 2018 and again in 2019. These claims arose in light of allegations tying Shivambu to the reported embezzlement of vulnerable depositors' savings at VBS Bank.
Gwarube emphasised the crucial role of the Ethics Committee in investigating whether Shivambu had formally declared all alleged funds as mandated by law. "The Committee discovered that Shivambu had received funds via a company owned by his brother, which was linked to VBS. These funds were not disclosed in accordance with lawful requirements," said Gwarube.
Three transfers made in August 2017, totalling R180,000 from Sgameka Projects, a company under the ownership of Brian Shivambu (Floyd Shivambu's brother), were reported to Shivambu as per a liquidator's report presented to the Portfolio Committee.
Concluding the investigation, the Ethics Committee found that Shivambu had indeed violated item 10.1.1.1 of the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests ("the Code") by neglecting to follow disclosure provisions for financial interests. This resulted in a recommendation by the Committee to dock Shivambu's pay for a period of nine days.
Gwarube said, "Although it has taken the Committee four years to reach this conclusion, we welcome this discovery. It serves as a testament that everyone should play by the same rules, with no exceptions, regardless of their status. As Members of Parliament, we are answerable to the public."