The Democratic Alliance is to refer Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to Parliament’s ethics committee after allegations that she abused state resources to smuggle a family friend from Burundi. The Sunday Times reported that Nqakula smuggled a family friend into the country using fake documents. The DA said in a statement that some of Mapisa-Nqakula's comments regarding the allegations were misleading. They said she failed to address the fact that her sister‚ Nosithembele Nontobeko Mapisa‚ was suspended from her post in the embassy in Burundi for her role in the case. “Minister Mapisa-Nqakula has misused her political standing to obtain favours from South African and international authorities and possibly violated her Oath of Office‚ Executive Members Ethics Act‚ the Immigration Act‚ and Defence Act in the process.“The DA will write to the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interest and request that they investigate the Minister’s potential Executive Members Ethics Act and Code of Conduct violation(s) in relation to this matter. It must also not be forgotten that she‚ like her colleagues in Cabinet‚ is a Member of Parliament and is also subject to the rules and code of ethics that all MPs are enjoined by.“We understand that the Minister may have been acting on compassionate grounds‚ however she cannot act as a law unto herself‚ and we reiterate our call for a full investigation of this incident. Failing to do so will set a precedent for members of the Executive to act outside the law and without impunity which is at odds with the provisions in our Constitution that prohibit such conduct‚” the DA said...