The African National Congress has cracked the whip against chronic absenteeism in Parliament and unveiled a plan to fine its MPs up to R2 000 a month should they stay away from work without permission.
ANC MPs have been asked to sign consent forms authorising the fines to be deducted from their salary cheques, ANC Chief Whip Nathi Nhleko told a media briefing in parliament.
The process of gathering the necessary signatures began on August 5, and it was hoped it would be completed by August 22.
The money would be paid into the party's caucus fund, he said.
An ANC MP who was absent from parliament without permission would be fined R500 a time. However, the amount would be capped at R2 000 a month.
"It's a measure that seeks to deter people from this sort of behaviour," Nhleko said.
The party in parliament was also reviewing the way it exercised discipline over its members.
Among those notorious for their absenteeism is ANC Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Nhleko repeated that in terms of an ANC national executive committee decision, the party's national leadership was dealing separately with her absenteeism, her snubbing of parliament's ethics committee and "broader issues relating to her situation".
"It's an issue that has been left up to national leadership to engage with and sort out and then report accordingly... We will always be directed by those particular deliberations."
Parliament's ethics committee will next week deal with Madikizela-Mandela's failure to appear before it for a second time on Wednesday, he said.
She failed to appear before a seven-member panel on Wednesday to answer claims that she received donations of R50 000 a month and had not disclosed these in the register of members' interests.
ANC deputy chief whip Andries Nel said the party's code of conduct was what bound members, and the consent and authority form was merely an administrative mechanism to facilitate collection of the fines. - Sapa