DA welcomes findings against former Transport Minister Maswanganyi

21 June 2023

The DA welcomes the suspension recommendation of former Minister of Transport and current Member of Parliament, Joe Maswanganyi, by Parliament's ethics committee. Maswanganyi's failure to understand his role as the Minister of Transport and his subsequent inaction in appointing a new board for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) in 2017 is a glaring example of incompetence and negligence.

The DA has consistently criticised the conduct of Maswanganyi and the ANC Portfolio Committee on Transport (PCoT) members, and we are pleased to see that the ethics committee has recognized and addressed this issue. The suspension recommendation serves as a necessary step towards holding accountable those who have allowed PRASA to slide into ruin.

This decision by the ethics committee is a clear indication that there are consequences for public representatives who fail to fulfill their duties and betray the public trust. We applaud the efforts of #UniteBehind, the commuter activist organisation that laid complaints against Maswanganyi and five other MPs, for their relentless pursuit of justice and accountability.

While this suspension is an important milestone, it is crucial to acknowledge that it is only the beginning of the process to rectify the disaster at PRASA. The DA remains committed to ensuring that all responsible MPs are held accountable for their role in this crisis. We will continue to push for further actions and measures to bring about justice and restore the integrity of our public institutions.

Furthermore, we demand that the report by the ethics committee be tabled before the Portfolio Committee on Transport at the earliest opportunity. It is imperative that the PCoT members, including the chairperson, face scrutiny for their behaviour and take immediate steps to rectify the ongoing issues with the PRASA Board.

The DA calls on Parliament to swiftly accept the recommendation to suspend Joe Maswanganyi from all parliamentary debates, sittings, committee meetings, and related functions and operations for a period of time. This suspension sends a clear message that negligence and incompetence will not be tolerated.

We urge Parliament to use this opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to ethical conduct, accountability, and the restoration of public trust. The DA will closely monitor the situation, ensuring that the necessary actions are taken to prevent such catastrophic failures in the future and restore the faith of the South African public in our democratic processes.

Issued by Chris Hunsinger, DA Shadow Minister of Transport, 21 June 2023