The Ethics Committee has found that Patriotic Alliance MP Ashley Sauls was acting in furtherance of his duties when he made statements about the College of Cape Town’s officials, who lodged complaints against him. This decision was made after investigating complaints lodged by College of Cape Town’s former principal, Mhangarai Muswaba, and council chairperson Alice King.
Sauls is no stranger to complaints levelled against him, as he had been cleared last year of inciting violence and behaving in an unethical manner. Muswaba had complained that Sauls contravened the code when he made comments at the meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on October 15, 2025. The meeting dealt with the Auditor-General’s report and the department’s annual report.
Complaints and Findings
Muswaba alleged that Sauls cast aspersions on him, suggesting he was a foreign national and unlawfully appointed. He said he had, at a prior meeting in September 2025, clarified his status as a “naturalised South African” as opposed to a “foreign national”. Muswaba told the Ethics Committee that neither Sauls nor Minister Buti Manamela “has knowledge regarding the processes or circumstances” surrounding his appointment.
He maintained that he was appointed as principal of the college after a lawful, competitive recruitment process, and Sauls’s statements impaired his “dignity, caused the college reputational harm, and promoted a xenophobic narrative”. In his response, Sauls said his questions surrounding the appointment of Muswaba “were necessary and responsible” in the execution of his duties as an MP.
Response and Retaliation
Sauls disputed that Muswaba clarified his status as a naturalised South African at the September meeting. He described the complaint as “clearly retaliatory”, asserting it was a response to “legitimate parliamentary oversight of his (Muswaba’s) personal conduct as the principal of the college”.
The committee had viewed the video footage of the meetings when it deliberated on the matter. The footage shows that Muswaba confirmed he was born in Zimbabwe, as was the CFO, and that Sauls charged that they occupied positions that were not scarce skills South Africans can occupy.
Committee co-chairpersons Nonkosi Mvana and Joseph Britz said the tone of Sauls throughout the engagement with Muswaba at that meeting appeared to be cordial, measured, and in furtherance of his duties. The committee established that the portfolio committee’s meeting in September addressed that Muswaba confirmed his status.
- Ashley Sauls was acting in furtherance of his duties
- No wrongdoing was found by the Ethics Committee
- Muswaba’s complaint was deemed retaliatory
For more information on the code of conduct for parliamentarians, visit the official Parliament of South Africa website.
