Dean Macpherson under siege

Dean Macpherson, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, is under fire for his comments about ActionSA’s supporters and his subsequent legal action.

The issue dates back to July 2025, when Macpherson allegedly called ActionSA supporters “Amapharas” and “Hobos”.

On 31 July 2025, Member of Parliament Alan Beesley wrote to the Chairperson of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests about the issue.

“On two separate occasions, the Minister referred to ActionSA supporters who gathered outside the Pietermaritzburg Court on 24 July 2025 as amaphara and hobos,” he said.

The term amaphara was used in a public address captured on video, and the term hobos was later used in an interview with journalist Bongani Hans.

“It is unconscionable that a senior party official, Member of Parliament, and Cabinet Minister would resort to such racist and inflammatory rhetoric,” Beesley said.

“This kind of conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the values enshrined in the Constitution and the responsibilities entrusted to elected public officials.”

Macpherson responded, denying that he called the supporters hobos. He admitted to using the term Amapharas, referring to ActionSA’s rent-a-crowd.

The Committee was not convinced by Macpherson’s argument and found that he breached the Code of Ethical Conduct.

He was informed of the breach and was invited to provide written representations of the penalty to be imposed.

Macpherson requested an extension of time to respond to the Committee, but it rejected the request.

“The Member did not provide any written representations on the penalty to be imposed,” the committee said.

The Committee recommended that Macpherson be formally reprimanded in the National Assembly and enter an apology into the official parliamentary record.

Dean Macpherson takes the legal route

Macpherson did not accept Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests ruling on this matter.

Instead, he instituted legal proceedings against Parliament after being found guilty of breaching the Code of Ethical Conduct over his remarks.

This did not sit well with ActionSA, which said it was appalled by the Minister’s decision to fight the matter legally.

“Rather than accepting responsibility and offering an apology, Minister Macpherson has chosen to drag Parliament itself to court,” Beesley said.

He added that this is an attempt by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to overturn the consequences of his own conduct.

“It sends the message that, when held accountable, Macpherson believes the problem lies not with his conduct, but with the institutions that found him guilty,” he said.

“It is deeply concerning that a sitting Cabinet Minister would seek to undermine the authority of Parliament simply because he disagrees with its findings.”

“Instead of apologising and respecting Parliament’s decision, Macpherson seeks to erase the record and challenge the rules designed to ensure ethical conduct among Members.”

Minister Dean Macpherson responds

Minister Dean Macpherson told Newsday that he has indeed taken the matter under review for specific reasons.

He argued that the committee did not follow its own stipulated process as defined by the Code of Ethical Conduct.

“Parliament has no right to police the speech of MPs outside of Parliament. That is not what the Code says,” he said.

“If it were to do so, it would be in violation of Section 16 of the Constitution and be an abuse of power.”

He added that the committee changed the charges midway and introduced evidence without ever asking him to respond.

“There was a minority review in the committee which was never brought to my attention and did not reflect in the ATC in violation of the National Assembly Rules,” he said.

“Beezley’s own claim in a legally deposed affidavit that I called people ‘hobos’ was dismissed by the committee.”

“This is a serious matter that an MP can depose a legally binding affidavit, have it proven untrue, and then the Committee is unwilling to reflect on that.”

Macpherson further alleged that the committee refused to allow him to make oral representations to it, which was unlawful.

“When I notified the Speaker of these deficiencies in the process, she should have referred it back to the Committee, but chose not to,” he said.

“Alternatively, she should have notified the National Assembly of my objection, which she chose not to.”

This, Minister Macpherson said, meant they were not empowered to make a final decision on the matter.

He accused ActionSA and Alan Beesley of using the Ethics Committee to violate the very Constitution in the pursuit of political agendas.

“It is of concern that, having read the court papers, ActionSA has no view on Mr Beezley’s alleged false affidavit, which could constitute perjury, a criminal offence,” he said.

“It is also of serious concern that the violation of a member’s rights, the lack of due process and the inability of the ethics committee to follow its own rules are not important to them.”

Macpherson said this proves their complaints and actions are politically motivated, not genuine.