{"id":21850,"date":"2013-08-12T19:16:32","date_gmt":"2013-08-12T17:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/disgraced-pule-avoids-penalty-for-now\/"},"modified":"2013-08-12T19:16:32","modified_gmt":"2013-08-12T17:16:32","slug":"disgraced-pule-avoids-penalty-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/disgraced-pule-avoids-penalty-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Disgraced Pule avoids penalty \u2013 for now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>        \t                                <!-- Main Editorial Image --><br \/>\n                    \t\t\t      \t\t\t                                      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/plugins\/rss-poster\/cache\/5ed12_1202861948.jpg\" alt=\"Copy of dina pule [2]\" title=\"\" class=\"pics\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"captions_credit_article\">INLSA<\/p>\n<p class=\"captions\">Former Communications Minister Dina Pule. Picture: Neil Baynes<\/p>\n<p class=\"captions\">\n<p class=\"related_articles\">Related Stories<\/p>\n<ul class=\"menu_tab_lists_related\">\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/ethics-code-needs-tightening-up-1.1560403\">Ethics code \u2018needs tightening up\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/crime-courts\/turok-remains-under-protection-1.1560373\">Turok remains under protection<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/corruption-watch-wants-pule-charged-1.1559929\">Corruption Watch wants Pule charged<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/taxpayers-footed-bill-for-pule-s-lavish-trips-1.1560094\">Taxpayers footed bill for Pule\u2019s lavish trips<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/mp-under-24-hour-guard-after-threats-1.1560260\">MP under 24-hour guard after threats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/anc-whip-commends-pule-probe-1.1559854\">ANC Whip commends Pule probe<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/pule-guilty-of-misconduct-1.1559221\">Pule guilty of misconduct<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/pule-could-face-criminal-charges-1.1559243\">Pule could face criminal charges<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/politics\/pule-found-guilty-over-lies-about-lover-1.1559381\">Pule found guilty over lies about lover<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"related_articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za:80\/news\/crime-courts\/threats-at-turok-a-miserable-affair-1.1560414\">Threats at Turok \u2018a miserable affair\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--PSTYLE=WT Web Text--><\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Cape Town &#8211; The ANC won\u2019t be taking any punitive action against disgraced former communications minister Dina Pule \u2013 at least for now. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">A parliamentary multiparty panel set up by the joint ethics and members\u2019 interests committee found Pule guilty of misconduct last week when it released its findings into allegations that she had \u201cwilfully misled\u201d Parliament. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Pule was accused of abusing taxpayers\u2019 money when her department funded her lover Phosane Mngqibisa\u2019s trips abroad. Mngqibisa\u2019s company, Khemano, also pocketed R6 million for services to a company contracted by the department to organise last year\u2019s ICT Indaba in Cape Town. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Pule has also been dragged into an alleged plot to assassinate joint ethics committee co-chairman Ben Turok and committee registrar Fazela Mohamed, who led the investigation into her conduct. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">But the recently established integrity committee of the ANC, the chairman of which is Rivonia triallist and former Robben Island prisoner Andrew Mlangeni, said that the matter had been adequately dealt with by Parliament and did not need to be investigated further. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u201cParliament has taken its stand,\u201d said Mlangeni on Sunday. \u201cThe committee that investigated her issued a statement about two days ago. The issue of Comrade Pule has been dealt with.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Pule, who has been reassigned to Parliament\u2019s transport committee, would not comment on the findings or on the alleged plot. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u201cJust respect the fact that I don\u2019t want to comment,\u201d she said. \u201cI wish I can but I\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Both Turok and Mohamed have played down the assassination plot. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">The panel that investigated Pule noted how Parliament\u2019s head of security services and management, Zelda Holtzman, had received information \u201cof a threat to harm the chairperson of the panel and registrar and to disrupt the proceedings of the panel\u201d. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u201cI\u2019ve been in the Struggle all my life and much more powerful people than these have intimidated me,\u201d said Turok. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">ANC chief whip Stone Sizani said that the threats and intimidation against Turok and Mohamed were a \u201cserious concern\u201d. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u201cWe don\u2019t take lightly these threats,\u201d said Sizani. \u201cBoth Turok and Mohamed were part of a collective assigned to probe the allegations on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">He said that the police should leave \u201cno stone unturned to ensure that such acts of bullying and thuggery are never repeated against an institution such as Parliament\u201d. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Pule will only know her fate once the National Assembly considers the joint ethics committee\u2019s report and endorses its findings and recommendations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">DA chief whip Watty Watson called on Sizani to suspend Pule immediately. \u201cThese are serious allegations which must be investigated,\u201d said Watson. \u201cDina Pule should be suspended from Parliament, and the portfolio committee of transport, until such an investigation is finalised.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\">Watson said that if Pule was not suspended immediately, the DA would push for her suspension at the next chief whips\u2019 forum on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"arcticle_text\"><strong>Political Bureau<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>INLSA Former Communications Minister Dina Pule. Picture: Neil Baynes Related Stories Ethics code \u2018needs tightening up\u2019 Turok remains under protection Corruption Watch wants Pule charged Taxpayers footed bill for Pule\u2019s lavish trips MP under 24-hour guard after threats ANC Whip commends Pule probe Pule guilty of misconduct Pule could face criminal charges Pule found guilty [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[8275,953,2143],"class_list":{"0":"post-21850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-south-africa","7":"tag-durban","8":"tag-newspaper","9":"tag-the-mercury","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21850\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}