Ad Hoc Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane
Image: Phando Jikelo / Parliament of RSA
Ad Hoc Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane said the work the parliamentary inquiry in probing the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhanhla Mkhwanazi must uphold the integrity of Parliament and reaffirm its oversight function.
“But very importantly we must vigorously demonstrate our intention to reinstill public confidence in the ability of Parliament to play its oversight responsibilities,” said Lekganyane.
He made the statement when the committee concluded the day-long deliberations by political parties on the preliminary draft report on Wednesday.
The final draft report is expected to be available on Monday after the committee’s content team consolidated all the inputs made by the political parties.
Lekganyane said the members will be afforded time to go through the final draft report ahead of the meeting on Wednesday, when the final report is expected be adopted.
“From where I stand and to a large extent members agreed with the broad thrust of the assessment that has been made by our evidence leaders and the content team.
“Of course, there are important additions made where some aspects were lacking or inadequate,” he said, adding only MK Party MP David Skosana supported the proposed findings and recommendation made by evidence leaders.
ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli
Image: Phando Jikelo / Parliament of RSA
ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli said the final draft report should indicate where there was alignment and areas of disagreement on the inputs by the parties.
“What will be urgent is to deal with the areas of divergence,” Ntuli said.
The draft report, once adopted, will be sent to the implicated parties for input and comment for a period of 10 days.
Lekganyane said the draft report to be sent to the implicated parties will not contain the recommendations except the assessment and analysis of evidence and the proposed findings.
He said the committee would not be induced by anybody on what recommendations to make.
“They will help us arrive at certain recommendations,” said Lekganyane about the inputs and comments to be received from the implicated parties.
During the deliberations, the committee shot down a suggestion by the EFF to have a section in the report that highlights limitations in executing their mandate.
EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys
Image: Phando Jikelo / Parliament of RSA
EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys said members had the office of National Assembly Thoko Didiza to provide the committee with a forensic investigator and psycho-social support services for witnesses.
Mathys said the requested resources were not provided.
“These things must be highlighted,” she said, adding that it could not be that Parliament appointed the Ad Hoc Committee and resources were not provided.
Ntuli, who noted “latest developments by the EFF towards Didiza”, said the secretariat should rather extract from the record the decisions that were taken and evaluate the extent Didiza’s office made interventions.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said while she was not Didiza’s praise singer, “domestic issues should remain just domestic issues”.
“We can discuss the matters we thought we did well and things we did less and the lessons. I don't think we need to air them,” said Breytenbach.
ActionSA MP Dereleen James said their recommendations should foster public trust than highlight their shortcomings.
Mathys said the matter had nothing to do with their vote of no confidence against Didiza.
“The EFF has always been passionate about resources to be made available and capacitating the committee. We can't make a position not to highlight the office of the Speaker in that regard,” she insisted.
Lekganyane said they had asked Didiza’s office regarding a forensic investigator and they were advised that one of the evidence leaders has that capacity to play that role.
“Maybe on our part, we might not have indicated the areas we needed such services to be employed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the committee has indicated that it will look into the evidence by MK Party MP Vusi Shongwe at Madlanga Commission and complaints by witnesses by how testimony will form part of discussions before the final report is adopted.
This also involves the other matters that may have arisen since the committee concluded its work, including the plea bargain by attempted murder-accused tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.