The former minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa is expected to be sworn in as the member of Parliament on Tuesday alongside 58 uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) members.
Kodwa missed the first sitting after resigning minister due to corruption allegations levelled against him. Kodwa will now stay on as an ordinary backbencher in Parliament after serving as a deputy minister and a minister in the sixth administration.
Fifty-eight MKP members will also be sworn in after missing the first National Assembly sitting. Former Western Cape judge president John Hlophe will lead the MKP in Parliament, according to both himself and the party.
ActionSA parliamentary caucus leader Athol Trollip has condemned the return of Kodwa to the national assembly.
“ActionSA condemns the shameful return of disgraced former minister Zizi Kodwa, who is reportedly set to be sworn in this coming Tuesday as an ANC member of Parliament despite facing serious corruption charges for allegedly accepting a R1.7 million bribe.
“Charged with violating the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, the former minister finds himself in the dock at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court, facing charges stemming from evidence in the State of Capture Report, which accuses the former minister of accepting a bribe in exchange for influencing the awarding of government contracts,” said Trollip.
Trollip added that the ANC should do the right thing and remove Kodwa.
“ActionSA calls on the ANC to, for once, act in the interest of the integrity of Parliament and remove him as a prospective MP, thereby ensuring that the former minister has ample time for his court appearances and saving the South African taxpayer from the insult of footing the bill for such a tainted individual,” he said.
The Mercury