ANC MP Mervyn Dirks in limbo as Parliament investigation stalls
Controversial ANC MP Mervyn Dirks’s disciplinary hearing has hit a snag as the party and its parliamentary caucus focuses its priorities on other party activities.
It’s been almost four months since Dirks was suspended from all parliamentary committee activities by the party’s Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina, pending a disciplinary hearing.
Majodina said Dirks acted in an unbecoming manner when he penned a letter to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) to complain about his own party president.
The disciplinary hearing is yet to get off the ground, meaning Dirks cannot participate in any standing committee activity.
But Dirks, who is part of an ANC faction opposed to President Cyril Ramaphosa, remains an MP and recently voted against a DA motion of no confidence in the president’s cabinet.
His attorney Godrich Gardee says the ANC’s is yet to present its case to Dirks and his client continues to sit in limbo.
“I have not been informed of any development by parliament, the chief whip or the lawyers of the chief whip or the ANC,” said Gardee.
He says it’s entirely up to those who are “prosecuting” Dirks to decide if they want to continue with the hearing.
“So, we will react to whatever, contact, act or intention from the chief whip and the ANC as and when they pursue it. The ANC lawyers and the chief whip did what they did to him and they will decide what to do next and then we will react to that,” said Gardee.
A caucus insider told the publication that the party had other priorities at the moment.
“You will know that we are currently busy with party matters like provincial and regional conferences. Caucus has other priorities at the moment. We are busy,” said the insider.
Parliament is currently in recess and caucus members are also engaged in party activities. The ANC currently has its hands full with several regional conferences, including two in KwaZulu Natal this weekend.
The ANC suspended Dirks in January and stripped him of his responsibilities in Parliament and withdrew his Scopa membership.
It was at this committee where Dirks raised the issue of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks he made in a leaked audio clip about the misuse of public funds for ANC campaigns in the run-up to the 2017 conference.
Ramaphosa has since written to Scopa where he denies having any direct knowledge of state funds being used for party political business.
Chief whip Pemmy Majodina could not be reached for comment and did not respond to text messages.
Caucus spokesperson Nomfanelo Kota declined to comment.
-EWN
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