ANC stalls committee probing Nkandla

OPPOSITION hopes that the special parliamentary committee established to probe the Nkandla scandal would begin work this week were dashed on Monday when it emerged that the ANC in the National Assembly would only nominate its members on April 23.

In the clearest indication yet that the ANC in Parliament will close ranks in the committee to protect President Jacob Zuma, it was learned that the ANC would leave the committee a scant seven days to complete its work.

When National Assembly speaker Max Sisulu announced the establishment of an ad hoc committee to probe Mr Zuma’s response to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on the R246m upgrade to his private home, he gave the committee until April 30 to complete its work.

The rules of Parliament allow political parties 10 working days to nominate their representatives to an ad hoc committee. The ANC’s intention to use the full time allowed in the rules will seriously limit the amount of work the committee can do.

Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko has expressed her outrage at "the ANC’s attempts to delay the start of the ad hoc committee".

"We have confirmed this morning that the ANC have yet to submit the names of their members who will serve on the committee — more than four days after it was announced. Until this happens, and all names are reflected in Parliament’s Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC) document, the ad hoc committee cannot begin its work."

ANC caucus spokesman Moloto Mothapo insists that the ANC is simply following procedures.

He acknowledges that the deadlines were tight "but the issue of how many days are left is not anyone’s fault, that is the process".

Ms Mazibuko says she has sent an urgent letter to Mr Sisulu urging him to ensure that the ad hoc committee meets this week.

"Indeed, since the ad hoc committee must report back to Parliament by April 30 2014, time is of the essence. To delay it by just one day is to undermine the important task it must complete in a very short period of time. The ANC is clearly running scared and now doing everything possible to protect President Zuma.

"They know that it is impossible to defend the spending of nearly R250m of public money to build President Zuma a palace in Nkandla. They know too that the powers of the committee are such that it will be able to force answers — which to date President Zuma refuses to provide," said Ms Mazibuko.

"This delay is a great disservice to Parliament and the constitution, and undermines the office of the speaker — who established this committee, with a clear indication that it must start its work ‘as soon as possible’," she said.

- BDLive