MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY HON. FRED WYNGAARD (MPL) LEADER OF THE OFFICIAL OPPOSITION NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE NORTHERN CAPE HIGH COURT ORDER JOHN BLOCK’s ASSETS TO BE SEIZED On the 28th of June 2013, the Northern Cape High Court issued an order that assets belonging to John Block must be seized. The first asset referred to in the court order is property in Upington that has been run as a guesthouse by Block since 2007. The second asset is shares in Trifecta Resources and Exploration (Pty) Ltd, which has been held by Block in his personal capacity since September 2006. However, none of these assets have been disclosed in the Public Register of Members’ Interests. The Code of Ethics and Conduct of the Rules of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature states that members must declare interests, including shares and property. Members are required to disclose their interests as a matter of transparency and accountability, which are the founding values of the constitutional democracy. Section 136 of the Constitution states that members may not expose themselves to a conflict of interest and may not use their positions to improperly enrich themselves. Members of the executive council must therefore disclose all their interests in an honest, accurate manner to ensure that they keep the public trust. The court order clearly states that Block has received this property even before he assumed office, which means that he must have disclosed it in 2009 and must have continued disclosing it until the current financial year. His failure to do so constitutes a serious breach of the Code of Ethics and Conduct and it undermines the public trust in his office. We are aware of the fact that there is a confidential register of members’ interests. However, the confidential register only discloses the interests of close family members and it contains the monetary value of assets disclosed in the public register. It would therefore be insufficient for Block to disclose the guesthouse and shares in the confidential register, because these assets constitute interests to register in terms of the Code of Ethics and Conduct which must be disclosed in the public register. In a similar case, the provincial treasurer of the ANC, Yolanda Botha failed to disclose interests in the Trifecta Company in her position as a Member of Parliament. She was called before the parliamentary ethics committee and in November 2011, the committee found that she was guilty of a serious breach of ethics. Her matter has been referred to the Special Investigation Unit. It is clear that the failure to disclose interests is a serious offence, which must be dealt with. We therefore demand that the premier Sylvia Lucas must act immediately. She must suspend John Block and Alvin Botes from their positions on the Executive Council. If Premier Lucas wants to be taken seriously, she must take serious action. Issued by: Hon. F. Wyngaard (MPL) Leader of the Official Opposition Congress of the People Northern Cape Legislature 11 July 2013 Enq: F. Wyngaard Tel: 0847643802 Distributed by COPE MEDIA Congress of the People 6th Floor, Metropolitan Building 108 Fox Street, Marshalltown Johannesburg Tel: 0839975133 Email: copemedia2014@gmail polotiki.co.za/Community-FORUM/index.php/;focus=AFRIHP_com_cm4all_wdn_PhpBB_750868&path=.$2fviewtopic.php?f=1&t=45
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 16:51:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015