[5] However, months later, Dingani resigned from his parliamentary seat in order to join the Free State Provincial Legislature, where he was sworn in on 18 December 1996.
[6] While Dingani was viewed as strongly aligned to his ousted predecessor, Mosiuoa Lekota, Matsepe-Casaburri was presumed to be the favoured candidate of the ANC's national leadership; the Mail & Guardian therefore described Dingani's election as "a clear message from the province's members to their national leadership... that they were unhappy with its meddling in provincial affairs".
[8] In subsequent months, Dingani reportedly attempted – but largely failed – to resolve factional disputes in the provincial party.
At the beginning of the legislative term that followed the 2004 election, Dingani was appointed as Secretary to Parliament, the administrative head of both parliamentary chambers.
[14] In March 2009, the Speaker's office announced that Dingani had been suspended, apparently after independent auditors recommended that he should be sanctioned for failing to respond to nepotism complaints against Lulama Matyolo-Dube, the Secretary of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
[15] Shortly afterwards, Parliament's presiding officers announced that he would be subject to a disciplinary hearing on dereliction of duty charges related to his inaction against Matyolo-Dube.
[17] In March 2012, the Sunday Times reported that Dingani had spent R186,000 in parliamentary funds – granted to him as an advance on his R1.8 million salary – to build a boundary wall at his home in Panorama outside Cape Town.