Mkhwebane: Van Rooyen lied about not visiting Gupta home since taking office

The Public Protector found that the complaint that Des Van Rooyen violated the Executive Ethics Code to also be substantiated.

CAPE TOWN - Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has found that the minister of Cooperative Governance Des van Rooyen misled Parliament went he claimed that he had not visited Gupta residence since taking office.

The Public Protector found that the complaint that van Rooyen violated the Executive Ethics Code to also be substantiated.

Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane has ordered that the president take appropriate action against Van Rooyen for violating code and the Constitution.

Mkhwebane has ordered that the president inform the National Assembly within 14 days, on the action he plans to take against his minister.

The investigation in Van Rooyen's utterances follows a complaint by the Democratic Alliance in 2016 after media reports that he paid several visits to the Gupta family residence in the run-up to his short stint as finance minister in 2015.

But Van Rooyen denied the visits in his replies to Parliamentary questions on the matter.

Van Rooyen again denied associations with the Gupta family during a Parliamentary committee meeting last week.

Mkhwebane says she has noticed a surge in complaints which emanate from Parliamentary questions.

The Presidency is to advise her office within 60 days of the action the president plans to take against van Rooyen.