Former chairperson of Parliament’s Public Enterprises Portfolio Committee, Zukiswa Rantho, says committees have limited influence on their own agendas.
She made these assertions while testifying at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Rantho says, “[Members of Parliament] MPs on a portfolio committee generally have limited influence over the agendas for its meetings. There is an annual cycle of meetings for each committee which needs to be adhered.”
She says the presenter during a seating is also sometimes afforded leeway to determine which questions to really address and which to skirt over.
“When questions are directly addressed, there is sometimes not an adequate opportunity for probing follow up questions,” says Rantho.
She also says the net result is that, when difficult questions are raised at ordinary committee meetings they do not always elicit satisfactory and complete answers.
Rantho is still testifying.
Below is a video of the proceedings:
Ms. Rantho says MP’s on a portfolio committee generally have limited influence over the agendas for its meetings. There is an annual cycle of meetings for each committee which needs to be adhered to.#StateCaptureInquiry
— State Capture Commission (@StateCaptureCom) February 2, 2021
