Parliament’s Section 194 committee Chair accused of bias: Zungula

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula has accused the chairperson of Parliament’s Section 194 committee of being biased and unfair.

The committee was established to look into the fitness to hold office of now suspended Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

Zungula objects to the way the meeting was chaired by Section 194 Committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi because he allowed MPs to question the witness, instead of the cross-examination being completed.

Zungula expresses his dissatisfaction. “You as a chairperson are not fair. You are emotional. You appear to have a predetermined outcome of the process. If [you] continue like this, then it will spell out this entire process. There is [a] witch hunt against adv Mkhwebane, by the way, you run this process,” adds Zungula.

The video below gives an update of today’s proceedings:

On Thursday, the witness before the committee, Sphelo Samuel, said he thought it was in a conflict of interest for Mkhwebane to have someone she is investigating attend her 50th birthday party in 2020.

Samuel said he believed the investigation into the Vrede Dairy Farm was being swept under the carpet when the then Agriculture MEC Mosebenzi Zwane was seen at the party while the Office of the Public Protector was investigating him.

Samuel told Advocate Dali Mpofu – the legal representative for Mkhwebane – he thought it would be considered unethical.

“[You] cannot socialise with a person you are investigating, it’s [a] sign of conflict [of interest]. It reinforced my belief that investigation [was] swept under the carpet.”

Mpofu: “You don’t think it was incompetence or misconduct?”

Samuel: “It could be incompetence to appreciate your role and therefore could be misconduct.”

The video below is reporting more on the story: