Committee to discuss findings on Tlakula
CAPE TOWN — Opposition MPs who have demanded the resignation of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairwoman Pansy Tlakula should be excluded from the parliamentary ad-hoc committee due to consider Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s findings of gross maladministration against the IEC boss.
African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Stone Sizane made the call at a media briefing yesterday, when he announced the list of seven of his party’s MPs who would sit on the committee.
Ms Madonsela’s findings against Ms Tlakula were released late last month and have been considered to be extremely grave, as the country is months away from its next general election.
The report found that Ms Tlakula had wasted R6m on fixtures and furniture at the new IEC headquarters, at Riverside Office Park in Centurion.
Ms Madonsela found that the procurement process of the lease for the head office was irregular. The public protector also found that Ms Tlakula had had a conflict of interest with the chairman of the company, who is ANC MP Thaba Mufamadi.
As the IEC is a constitutionally protected organisation, it answers directly to Parliament.
Findings of the investigations by the public protector implicating members of the executive usually end up before the president, who decides on the final action against the accused.
In Ms Tlakula’s case, Ms Madonsela has recommended that National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu take action against the IEC chairwoman.
Almost all the other opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA), United Democratic Movement and the African Christian Democratic Party, have called for Ms Tlakula’s resignation.
However, the ANC has been silent on the matter.
Mr Sizane said the party did not want to predetermine a finding against Ms Tlakula, but he did acknowledge that the findings had already been made.
“Inclusion of such (opposition) MPs, who regard parliamentary processes as a mere formality and rubber stamp of this report, will cast aspersions on the integrity and credibility of the entire process,” Mr Sizane said.
“MPs who, as part of this Parliament, publicly make judgments on the matter without familiarising themselves with the facts, make a mockery of parliamentary processes and undermine the institution’s role,” he said.
The ad-hoc committee chairman will be ANC MP Luwellyn Landers, who as chairman of Parliament’s justice committee has butted heads with the public protector.
Mr Sizane said Mr Landers had a reputation for fairness and he did not think the previous inci- dents would affect his handling of the ad-hoc committee.
During the media briefing, Mr Sizane also brought up his party’s call for the US to desist from taking any military action against Syria. This is despite Syria’s embattled government’s possible use of chemical weapons against its own people.
Mr Sizane praised President Jacob Zuma for having suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Syria’s chemical weapons be placed under United Nations supervision. He said this was because bombing would harm innocent civilians, and that developed countries appeared to have the impression that they could attack developing countries whenever they felt it necessary.
“We welcome the stance by the president of the Republic, Jacob Zuma, who has articulated the need for restraint to be exercised by the countries motivating for military intervention in Syria,” Mr Sizane said.
Mr Sizane also welcomed the law enforcement investigations into the alleged sabotage of Johannesburg’s City Power, which left many suburbs in the city in the dark last week.