Former communications minister Dina Pule has decided to decline the ANC’s nomination for the national assembly, she said in a statement on Thursday.
“I have given great thought to what I should do with the rest of my life, and while I will remain a loyal and committed member of the ANC, it is in my best interest and that of my children and family that I withdraw from the ANC list and be allowed to live my life in peace,” she said.
Pule, who was recalled from her position last year after the public protector’s report into allegations of corruption and a potential conflict of interest against her, was number 70 on the ANC’s list of parliamentary candidates.
She expressed gratitude for her nomination and thanked the party’s branches for the expression of confidence in her.
Public protector Thuli Madonsela’s probe involved Pule’s appointment of service providers to do event management for the ICT Indaba in Cape Town.
Madonsela found Pule unlawfully extended her spousal benefits to her romantic partner Phosane Mngqibisa. She found that despite numerous denials, Pule told her department Mngqibisa was her official companion.
Madonsela said at a meeting, Pule told her Mngqibisa was not her spouse, as he was married to someone else under civil law. — Sapa