Governing party MPs rallied around Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane on Wednesday and shielded him from accounting for the allegedly irregular appointment of a deputy director-general with suspected links to the politically connected Gupta family. Zwane was confronted about the appointment of Seipati Dlamini during a sitting of the mineral affairs committee, but the minister hid behind an argument by ANC MPs that he should have time to consider his response and provide it to the committee in writing. The MPs said he should not be forced to respond verbally to DA MP James Lorimer’s allegations about the appointment. ANC MP Mandla Mandela rejected Lorimer’s “unsubstantiated allegations”. But Lorimer said Zwane should give the assurance that Dlamini’s appointment was above board. “The committee needs to decide whether we are interested in oversight or not,” he said. The ANC’s argument won the day. Lorimer had written to committee chairman Sahlulele Luzipo asking him to summon ...
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