Tensions flare in Parly amid opposition parties' call for immediate attention on corruption allegations against speaker

CAPE TOWN - Tensions flared in a programme committee meeting of Parliament on Thursday morning.

This comes as opposition parties raised concerns that an ethics complaint against Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will not receive immediate attention.

Opposition parties said bribery and corruption allegations levelled against the speaker were serious and warranted swift action.

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However, acting Speaker Cedric Frolick said it was not for presiding officers to interfere in the work of the ethics committee.

Mapisa-Nqakula is fingered in corruption during her tenure as the Minister of Defence for having allegedly received over R2 million in tender kickbacks.

Parliament’s joint ethics committee has not met at all in 2024, and only met six times in 2023.

It prompted the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to question how soon the committee would deal with their complaints against Mapisa-Nqakula.

“This allegation is very, very serious, and we can’t be expected as political parties to sit here and continue with business as usual,” said EFF member of Parliament Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi.

However, the situation quickly denigrated when Frolick said it’s not for presiding officers to get involved in the work of this committee.

African National Congress (ANC) Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina came to Mapisa-Nqakula’s defence.

“This is what you call a public trial, and we must not fall into a trap of doing that.”

Frolick said it was up to Parliament’s acting registrar of members’ interests to engage with the speaker about the complaints against her.