‘DD wasting parly’s time’
● MPs are considering an EFF proposal to cut the number of question-time sessions for Deputy President David Mabuza, who the party says is uninformed and only wastes parliament’s time.
The ANC supports the proposal, though without necessarily endorsing the EFF opinion of Mabuza. But National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise has warned against it.
The Sunday Times has learnt that the EFF has been lobbying the chief whips forum in parliament with a view to reducing the frequency of Mabuza’s appearances to answer oral questions.
In terms of the current rules, the deputy president is obliged to take oral questions from MPs every month when parliament is in session.
The EFF wants to reduce this to once every three months, which is being seen in some quarters as an attempt to undermine the authority of parliament in holding Mabuza accountable.
Since the new parliament convened in May, Mabuza has missed three question sessions, citing ill health or travel commitments related to the peacekeep- ing mission in South Sudan.
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina said the ANC was not opposed to amendments of rules. She said the chief whips forum agreed in principle that the deputy president’s monthly appearance to respond to questions must also be amended.
Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi, the EFF deputy secretarygeneral, said the party did not think Mabuza made a useful contribution during his appearances.
“Our main argument is to give ministers more question time as they are the ones with details of what happens in their departments, not him,” said Mkhaliphi.
“He comes and wastes our time and doesn’t answer what we are asking him,” she said.
Mabuza’s spokesperson, Sam Bopape, declined to comment, saying question-time frequency was a matter for parliament to decide.
At a recent meeting of the National Assembly’s programming committee, Modise warned that the move would eliminate one of the most effective ways of establishing whether ministers and the deputy president knew what they were doing.