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In Parliament on Thursday, the ANC suspended a party MP for trying to initiate a probe into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s knowledge of looted state money that was used for the party’s political campaigns in 2017 and his decision to remain silent to protect the party’s image.
Mervyn Dirks may challenge his suspension in court, according to those close to him. However, that information cannot be verified, as Dirks could not be reached on his phone or via text messages.
City Press has seen a copy of his suspension letter, which stated that he was gagged from speaking to the media, pending an investigation and disciplinary action.
“He is travelling to Cape Town as we speak,” said a source, adding that Dirks was considering an urgent interdict against the ANC and only the Cape Town High Court had jurisdiction to hear the matter, since Parliament is in the mother city.
READ: ANC MP contradicts party chief whip on Mkhwebane vote
The standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) in Parliament was due to look into the complaint on Friday, and committee chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa was also unavailable for comment.
The person also said there was no way the suspension could result in the abandonment of the complaint against Ramaphosa.
Earlier this week, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina instructed Dirks to withdraw the complaint, but he refused, citing that he had done nothing against his oath of office, but merely sought to hold Ramaphosa accountable.
Dirks’ complaint followed the leak of a recording of ANC internal discussions in which Ramaphosa declared that he knew his opponents had stolen state money from the State Security Agency to finance their campaign, but he preferred to keep silent and “fall on his sword” to shield the party’s reputation rather than expose the scandal.
The presidency and Ramaphosa’s ANC spokesperson in Luthuli House, Sibongile Besani, had confirmed that the leaked recording was authentic, but denied that Ramaphosa was covering up information on corruption.
Besani said Ramaphosa actually meant that:
In a suspension letter dated Thursday, Majodina said the party was placing Dirks on precautionary suspension and intended to initiate disciplinary action against him.
She said the decision was prompted by his “unbecoming conduct” of a whip of the ANC parliamentary caucus, a position of leadership.
She said he was suspended “with immediate effect, for the necessary investigations to take place” and, during that period, he was also relieved of his duties as the whip of the ANC Scopa study group and as the questions whip of the ANC parliamentary caucus.
“Your membership of strategy will be suspended; your membership of Scopa will be withdrawn; you will be removed from caucus WhatsApp groups.”
Majodina also said Dirks was “specifically prohibited from engaging on any media platform in any way whatsoever regarding his matter”.
She said:
ANC parliamentary caucus spokesperson Nomfanelo Kota said: “This is an internal matter, and the office of the chief whip is treating it as such. We have not issued any public communication because we are still seized with the matter. One is not at liberty to provide any other details in this regard.”
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