Parliament’s Impeachment Committee has decided to reconsider its recommendation for Advocate Thandazani Madonsela to be appointed as evidence leader. This is after a letter from President Cyril Ramaphosa raising objections against Madonsela’s appointment, and his reservations in terms of two instances of conflict of interest.
Parliament’s legal advisors have told MPs that the decision to appoint Madonsela was valid and there is no sign of conflict of interest, but in the interest of being procedurally fair, it would be wise to review the decision.
Committee Chairperson Makashule Gana made the announcement.
“Option B, that we rescind the decision to recommend Advocate Madonsela as the Chief Evidence Leader, is the one that’s preferred by the committee following the legal opinion. So, that becomes the decision of this committee,” says Makashule.
Ramaphosa had point out that after removing Madonsela as a Judicial Service Commission (JSC) appointee shortly after the 2022 interviews for the appointment of the chief justice, he felt that there was a reasonable apprehension that Madonsela may harbour a grievance towards him.
His second reservation related to public comments Madonsela had made regarding the Phala Phala theft during an engagement with an African National Congress (ANC) study group.