‘Parliamentary study group system needs a re-look’

Former chairperson of the Public Enterprises Portfolio Committee Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba says the parliamentary study group system needs to be re-looked at.

She was testifying at the State Capture Commission on Wednesday night about Parliament’s oversight mandate over the executive.

Letsatsi-Duba told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that the study group meetings normally held by African National Congress (ANC) MPs ahead of a Portfolio Committee meeting do not promote holding the executive to account.

“Sometimes leadership of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) will come so that they can present any issues and we will be having an advantage of having the information more than any other member of the committee. I remember at some point saying that so and so is coming to your study group meeting and I felt so uncomfortable. I was like this thing needs to be corrected at some point,” says Letsatsi-Duba.

Below is the live stream for Wednesday’s proceedings:

Earlier in February, former chairperson of Parliament’s Transport Committee Dikeledi Magadzi told the State Capture Commission that they wanted state institutions such as the Auditor General, National Treasury, Hawks and the police to investigate corruption and the irregular procurement of trains at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

She told the  commission that her committee made recommendations for these issues to be investigated and the arrest of those who were responsible.

Former Scopa chairperson testified

Former chairperson of Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) Themba Godi also testified. He told the Commission that the problem of non-implementation by the Executive of remedial measures required by Scopa reports remained a significant problem right up to the end of his tenure.

In the video  below, former Scopa chairperson Themba Godi testifies: