The ANC will "look into" the "sickness" or truancy of its MP and former Correctional Services minister, Ngconde Balfour.
Balfour, now a backbencher, has not attended a single parliamentary committee meeting. This has been confirmed by chairperson of the portfolio committee on Home Affairs, Ben Martins, who was told that Balfour "is not well".
Balfour has been conspicuous by his absence from ANC benches since he failed to make it back to cabinet. He was among former president Thabo Mbeki's ministers who were not appointed to President Jacob Zuma's executive.
"(Balfour) is nowhere to be found and we have not been told anything. He does not come to caucus (meetings) and does not attend committee meetings. I think they are tired of him now," said an ANC MP who would not be identified because "it's none of my business".
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| 'I will deal with the matter and look at the reasons' |
Another senior MP said the former prisons minister seemed to be finding it hard to adjust to life as an ordinary MP - minus the high-society life as a chauffeur-driven minister. "Politics are cruel, people get used to this life of living large as ministers and once it's gone, you have to buy your own lunch and dinner, no one cares anymore," he said.
ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga said he had not checked the reasons for Balfour's absence because he had been busy with other parliamentary work.
"Many apologies from many people have come to my office, others are off sick. We have been busy with the budgets and have had no time to peruse, I will deal with the matter and look at the reasons," Motshekga said. "As soon as we look at what the apologies say, if he's sick. We'll see if there are medical certificates to (back that up). We'll take it from there," he said.
Since the new ANC leadership, Parliament has become strict with attendance registers. Committees have been told to keep an attendance register which will be sent to parties regularly so that truant members can be disciplined.
Balfour put down the phone when contacted for comment.
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