Dipuo Peters
President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken firm action against Dipuo Peters, the current Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, by enforcing a suspension in response to an ethics violation during her tenure as Minister of Transport.
In a statement released on Friday, the Presidency confirmed that Peters has been notified of her suspension through written correspondence. This disciplinary measure stems from a Parliamentary sanction issued by the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests, which found the Deputy Minister culpable of violating the Code of Ethical Conduct.
“The suspension, which will be without pay, became effective on 28 February 2024 and will end on 28 March 2024,” the Presidency declared, delineating the consequences of Peters’ actions.
The ethical transgressions date back to Peters’s term as Minister of Transport, with Parliament, in a statement from the end of January 2024, acknowledging the Western Cape High Court’s ruling that dismissed Peters’s appeal to halt the implementation of her suspension from Parliamentary proceedings for a single term.
This discipline from Parliament surfaced after a review of a complaint placed against Peters in October 2023, pinpointing breaches of the Code of Ethical Conduct.
In a damning revelation, the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests indicated that activist Zackie Achmat, the leader of #UniteBehind, raised multiple allegations. Specifically, it was cited that Peters was “neglectful in her previous portfolio as Minister of Transport by failing to appoint a Group CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).”
The allegations extended further, accusing Peters of utilizing PRASA buses for ANC happenings in 2014 and 2015 without ensuring reimbursement by the political party.
“Following deliberations, the ethics committee found that the Member’s failure to appoint a Group CEO breached items 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the code,” Parliament articulated in its January statement. This non-compliance reportedly translated into a substantial financial loss of R1 767 000 for the agency.
The committee recommended that Peters be excluded from participating in any Parliamentary debates, sittings, and committee meetings for one term of the Parliamentary programme—a recommendation that was adopted and consequently led to the National Assembly’s sanction.
In response to the court’s dismissal of Peters’s legal challenge, Parliament expressed appreciation, highlighting the court’s acknowledgment of the legislature’s autonomous authority to direct its affairs without encroachment from other government branches.
Parliament concluded with a statement reinforcing the application of the suspension, “Ms Peters will be placed on suspension commencing tomorrow, 30 January, with the suspension expected to last until 28 March,” ensuring the enforcement of accountability for the ethical breach.
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