Parliamentary committee to deal with Nkandla
It’s the first time a parliamentary committee will be dealing with alleged wrong doing by a president.
- President Jacob Zuma
- Parliament
- Nkandla
- Public Protector
- Public Protector Thuli Madonsela
- Nkandla report
- Jacob Zuma Nkandla
- Nkandla Investigation
- Nkandlagate
- Nkandla findings
- SIU
- Nkandla development
- Lindiwe Mazibuko
- South African President Jacob Zuma
- Government Nkandla report
- Public Protector and Special Investigating Unit
- Corne Mulder
CAPE TOWN - Political parties say National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu has done the right thing by referring the Nkandla report to a special committee of Parliament.
The decision was announced on Wednesday night, a week after President Jacob Zuma submitted Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report and his response to Parliament.
Madonsela found that the president and his family improperly benefitted from some of the upgrades to his private home.
She recommended he repay part of the expected total bill of R246 million.
The Public Protector also found Zuma breached the executive members' ethics code.
The committee must consider the Nkandla report and the president's response, as well as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU)'s mandate.
It must report back by the end of the month.
MPs REACT TO SISULU'S DECISION
The African National Congress (ANC)'s Moloto Mothapo said, "We welcome the announcement for that formation of that committee."
The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Lindiwe Mazibuko said Sisulu made the right move.
"I am very sure that he has fulfilled his constitutional responsibility."
The Freedom Front Plus's Corné Mulder said, "We welcome the fact that the speaker acted on this. It does bode well for Parliament and the independence of the speaker."
The 12-member multi-party committee will have powers to subpoena people and documents.
Zuma has told Parliament that he will respond fully, only after the SIU has concluded its investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, parties are set to decide today which of their members will serve on the ad hoc committee.
The committee has just 12 working days between now and it's month-end deadline.
Mulder said, "Time is a serious problem. 30 April is right around the corner and all the parties involved are in the middle of an election campaign."
But Mazibuko said her party's got a short-list.
"We're going to put our best people on this committee and make sure that we make room for them to be able to work and get to the bottom of this issue."
It's the first time a parliamentary committee will be focusing on alleged wrong doing by a president of a country.
