President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended Deputy Small Business Development Minister Dipuo Peters for alleged abuse of office, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya announced on Friday.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa has notified Peters in writing of his decision to suspend her.
“The decision follows a sanction adopted by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interests against the Deputy Minister,” Magwenya said in a statement.
He added: “The Committee found that Ms Peters had breached the Code of Ethical Conduct in her former portfolio as Minister of Transport.”
Among other issues, Peters was found guilty by the parliamentary ethics committee of being negligent after she failed to appoint a group chief executive for the state-run Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and for dismissing the entity’s board after it instituted an investigation. The investigation later uncovered R14 billion (about US$728 million) in irregular expenditure.
Another complaint was that Peters failed to investigate R79 million paid by PRASA to the privately owned Swifambo Rail for alleged distribution to the governing African National Congress (ANC).
She is also accused of allegedly using PRASA buses for ANC events during 2014 and 2015 without ensuring payment from the party.
The suspension, which would be without pay, became effective on 28 February 2024 and is due to end on 28 March 2024, according to Magwenya.
JN/APA