Parliament admits it knew about ‘a machine’

Probe into Sona signal jamming reveals plan for ‘equipment to be deployed’

PARLIAMENT’S presiding officers yesterday sidestepped questions over the cellphone jammer which delayed the start to last week’s State of the Nation address until it was switched off. However, Parliament’s political bosses admitted they had been told about “a machine” during a security preparations briefing on the eve of President Jacob Zuma’s address, but did not ask further questions.

“We became aware there was a plan for certain equipment to be deployed… without necessarily knowing details… because it was an item dealing with what measures had to be taken for the protection, in particular, of the head of state and the deputy president,” said National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete, adding that that briefing involved parliamentary structures and directorsgeneral from the relevant organs of state, in particular the security cluster.

“The department that owns the device, they are part of that structure.”

National Council of Provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise said: “In fact, the words they used was ‘somebody has some machines’. Now we did not get into understanding that because, surely, if the understanding was that there was going to be scrambling, we would have wanted to know.”

While insisting the media was not the target of the jamming device, the presiding officers failed to specify who may have been the intended target. Despite repeated requests to identify the state department, Mbete and Modise also declined to do so.

“We are aware those concerned will issue a report to Parliament and give a media briefing what this was all about,” Mbete said.

On Friday the SAPS and State Security Agency referred to Parliament all queries over the cellphone jammer and the deployment of security operatives to remove EFF parliamentarians.

Zuma’s address was delayed by 20 minutes as calls of “Bring back the signal” from the media gallery in the National Assembly were taken up by opposition parties.

When the address finally got under way, it was again interrupted as security operatives – including public order police, other police officers and parliamentary protection services dressed in white shirts – kicked, pulled and pushed EFF parliamentarians out of the Chamber.

There would be a report on the cellphone signal jammers, but it remained unclear whether a similar account would be presented over the security operatives’ deployment.

The DA and EFF are to go to court over summoning police to remove MPs.

An urgent application to prohibit the use of mobile network blocking devices in Parliament was postponed in the Western Cape High Court yesterday.

The postponement follows negotiations between lawyers for Parliament and those for media houses Primedia Broadcasting and Media24.

“Regrettably, those negotiations have failed,” Steven Budlender, for Primedia Broadcasting, told the court.

Norman Arendse, for Parliament, submitted an unsigned affidavit from Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana, in which assurances are made that jamming devices would not be used in future.

However, parties could not reach agreement on the live video and audio feeds from the House, which the applicants do not want interrupted. The case would be heard on February 26.