COPE calls on Section 194 committee to wrap up inquiry without delays

Congress of the People (COPE) has called on the parliamentary inquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office not to allow its work to be delayed again as the inquiry resumes on Monday.

It had been stalled due to a lack of funding for Mkhwebane’s legal representation. However, about R4 million has since been found to pay for her legal fees.

The committee resolved last week to resume on Monday and set aside 22 days to conclude the inquiry.

COPE says the committee should not allow any delays. Party spokesperson Dennis Bloem says, “The money-wasting Section 194 on the suspended Public Protector must come to an end. COPE is very angry to watch how taxpayers’ money is openly being squandered. This inquiry has milked the country millions of rand.”

Bloem adds, “Now there is another attempt by the suspended public protector to delay the inquiry by these flimsy extortion allegations against the Chairperson of the Inquiry, [Qubudile  Dyantyi], the ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina and a Member of Parliament [Tina Joemat-Pettersson]. [These allegations] must never be allowed to delay further the work of the committee.”

Allegations of bribery

Meanwhile, African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Paul Mashatile says they will await a report on the allegations that three ANC Members of Parliament tried to solicit a bribe from Mkhwebane to make her impeachment inquiry disappear.

“I haven’t seen the report. So I have requested for it. Once I have the facts I will engage with the affected comrades to get their sides of the story. For now, it remains allegations. As soon as we get the facts, we will know what happened there. So I don’t want to take any decisions until I meet with those affected comrades,” explains Mashatile.

Pemmy Majodina refutes claims of alleged extortion of Mkhwebane

MPs won’t be derailed by allegations

MPs serving on the Section 194 committee say they will not be derailed by allegations of bribery against some of its members.

United Democratic Movement (UDM) President, Bantu Holomisa asks for the matter to be addressed and the chairperson of the Ethics Committee to be called.

However, several other members say the matter did not belong on the committee and they should avoid being distracted by it.

ANC MP Xola Nqola describes the allegations as fiction and urged members to concentrate on the work of the committee.

“We are not going to allow ourselves to be defocussed by gossip on the streets, to be defocussed by any fictitious activity happening out there. We remain firm that we are continuing … in relation to what they term the conduct of members of this committee,” Nqola explains.