Durban - An MEC and six MPLs in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature have not declared their financial interests two months after the April deadline.
Transport MEC Willies Mchunu is the only MEC who has not declared his interests in Premier Senzo Mchunu’s executive council. However in a statement from the legislature after media enquiries it was claimed the form was “misfiled”.
MPLs who did not make declarations include four from the ANC: Happy Blose, Linda Hlongwa, Sakhephi Dlomo and Yatima Nahara, the IFP’s Subramoney Moodley and the NFP’s Erickson Zungu.
This emerged when the Daily News last week viewed the file containing the declarations for 73 of the 80 MPLs.
This was despite MPLs being reminded by Legislature Speaker Lydia Johnson and secretary Nerusha Naidoo.
MPLs, in terms of the legislature’s code of conduct, were expected to register their financial interests and those of their spouses and dependants every year.
The register contains shares they hold in companies, paid work outside their parliamentary work, gifts valued from R500, foreign travel not paid by the government or party, ownership of property or land and pensions, among others.
The register of interests also shows that only Economic Development MEC Michael Mabuyakhulu, Human Settlement MEC Ravi Pillay and Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi submitted their declaration forms before the April deadline.
The premier and six of his MECs made their submissions between May and June.
Public Service Accountability Monitor’s Ndodana Nleya said there was evidence of breaches.
“We thus would urge the disciplinary committee to conduct investigations on these cases,” Nleya said.
He also said MECs who had not disclosed their interests had contravened the Executive Members Ethics Act and Code.
“The public protector is empowered to investigate such allegations,” Nleya said.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said MPLs ought to lead by example, but there was no consequence for those who did not do so.
“If there was a clear penalty like withholding a salary until they comply, most of them would comply,” Seepe said.
Some of the MPLs gave different excuses for failing to make disclosures.
Hlongwa blamed her failure on maternity leave.
Dlomo said he had been “busy on the ground with programmes”.
Moodley said flu had kept him from submitting his declaration.
“I will drop them off next week. I had flu and had to go for treatment. I only got them last week,” he said.
Blose, a whippery member overseeing discipline of MPLs, said she had been held up by family matters and work duties.
“My file from this year is no different from last year, if you go and see it,” she wrote in a text message.
She insisted that neither her nor her family had any business interests to declare.
But, Nahara was adamant that she had submitted her declaration forms.
“They (officials) must have misplaced it. I will have to check it out because I signed in the presence of colleagues as witnesses,” she said.
MEC Willies Mchunu and Zungu did not respond to text messages and calls.
Daily News