A recent report has it Parliament, in the form of National Assembly (NA) Speaker Thoko Didiza, wants guidelines set for Members of Parliament (MPs) as regards unannounced visits to public institutions.
IOL reported the call for guidelines to end unannounced visits “reignited discussions regarding the balance between enabling parliamentary oversight and the necessity for operational protocols within government facilities”.
The call, according to IOL, was “prompted by frequent complaints” one of which defenceWeb has details of: in mid-February, Pretoria-based Directorate for Conventional Arms Control (DCAC) in the Armscor Building saw an attempted ‘cold call’ by two Democratic Alliance (DA) public representatives – Chris Hattingh from the NA and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) MP Nicholas Gotsell.
The pair said they were blocked from speaking to DCAC Acting Director Peter Mashaba apparently on the instructions of Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. A DA statement on what the party said was “an effort to avoid accountability” reportedly saw SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, ask Gotsell and Hattingh how they accessed the Armscor building as well as “demanding written authorisation from the Minister of Defence [and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga]”.
They maintain Ntshavheni has no right to block elected representatives from executing oversight functions and reported her to Parliament’s Ethics Committee. Gotsell told defenceWeb receipt of the Ntshavheni complaint, along with a supporting affidavit, had only been acknowledged to date.
In support of the complaint Gotsell said it was “worrying” for the ANC (African National Congress) to block oversight over “critical defence related issues”. In addition to the apparent involvement of the Minister in The Presidency, he cited Motshekga’s appearance at a 4 February Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) meeting where co-chairs Malusi Gigaba and Phiroane Phala “protected” her from answering questions.
DA Chief Whip George Michalakis was reported by IOL as saying unannounced visits were “essential” for MPs to assess conditions in State institutions.
