Gigaba receives unexpected praise from the EFF
HOME Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba received praise from unlikely quarters yesterday when he ignored attempts by his fellow ANC MPs to shield him from accountability.
“It was very progressive for the minister to respond. All of us were listening to his response,” EFF MP Hlengiwe Hlophe-Mkalipi said.
“It was going to be a mistake for the minister to leave this room without responding on this matter,” she said.
Gigaba was leading a departmental delegation to the home affairs portfolio committee, to account on delayed changes to immigration legislation.
The meeting was convened after the department took nine months to notify the committee about the need to amend the legislation to comply with a Constitutional Court judgment, which found a section of the immigration act invalid.
The court suspended the invalidity of the section and gave Parliament until June 2018 to make the necessary amendments.
Matters heated up in the meeting when ANC parliamentarians attempted to block Gigaba from making a statement on the court judgment.
This was after the DA’s Haniff Hoosen described the judgment as an embarrassment to the department and government. He asked the department to disclose the litigation costs incurred and requested Gigaba’s statement on the matter.
Chauke warned against putting blame on the department, saying it only implemented what Parliament passed. His sentiments were echoed by ANC MPs, with Tandiwe Kenye accusing Hoosen of wanting to blame the department.
Hlophe-Mkalipi insisted that Gigaba address the committee as the political head.
“He is not a sangoma. He can talk for himself,” she said.
“We are not blaming the minister. Since he is political head, there is no harm for the minister to say something,” she said.
Chauke denied that the governing party was protecting Gigaba.
“We have to make it very clear that it is and will never be in the interest of the ANC to protect anyone. Anyone is accountable to Parliament and Parliament has a right to do oversight over anyone,” he said.
Briefing the committee, Gigaba said the litigation arose from implementation of laws passed by Parliament.
“People may take exception on one issue or another and test laws in courts. It was neither a malicious intention of the department, nor was it the intention of Parliament to violate the constitution,” Gigaba said.
He warned against shouldering the blame for violation of the constitution and making apologies.
Hlophe-Mkalipi said they did not want to blame anyone, but wanted Gigaba to talk on a matter in his portfolio.
“I want to say thank you. We know where the standpoint of the minister is.”