Soviet Lekganyane urges rebuilding public confidence in Parliament during inquiry

Ad Hoc Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane said the parliamentary inquiry into allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhanhla Mkhwanazi must uphold Parliament’s integrity and work to restore public confidence in its oversight role.

Chairperson stresses public confidence

Speaking after the committee concluded a day of deliberations by political parties on the preliminary draft report, Lekganyane said:

“But very importantly we must vigorously demonstrate our intention to reinstill public confidence in the ability of Parliament to play its oversight responsibilities.”

Report timeline and next steps

The committee’s content team will consolidate party inputs into a final draft report that is expected to be available on Monday. Members will be given time to review that final draft ahead of a meeting on Wednesday, when the committee expects the final report to be adopted.

Lekganyane said members broadly agreed with the assessment made by the evidence leaders and the content team, while noting there were “important additions made where some aspects were lacking or inadequate.” He also said that only MK Party MP David Skosana supported the proposed findings and recommendations made by the evidence leaders.

Inputs from parties and handling of recommendations

ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli said the final draft should show areas of alignment and where parties disagreed, adding:

“What will be urgent is to deal with the areas of divergence.”

The draft report, once adopted, will be sent to the implicated parties for input and comment for a period of 10 days. Lekganyane said the version sent to implicated parties will not contain the recommendations, but will include the assessment and analysis of evidence and the proposed findings. He said the committee would not be induced by anybody on what recommendations to make, and that inputs from implicated parties “will help us arrive at certain recommendations.”

Debate over resources and limitations

The committee rejected an EFF proposal to include a section highlighting limitations in executing their mandate. EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys said members had asked the office of the National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza to provide a forensic investigator and psycho-social support services for witnesses, and that those resources were not provided. Mathys said:

“These things must be highlighted.”

Ntuli said the secretariat should extract from the record the decisions taken and evaluate the extent to which Didiza’s office made interventions. DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said “domestic issues should remain just domestic issues,” and ActionSA MP Dereleen James said recommendations should foster public trust rather than highlight shortcomings. Mathys maintained the request was not linked to a vote of no confidence against the speaker.

Lekganyane said the committee had asked Didiza’s office about a forensic investigator and were advised that one of the evidence leaders had the capacity to play that role. He added:

“Maybe on our part, we might not have indicated the areas we needed such services to be employed.”

Additional evidence under review

The committee indicated it will consider evidence given by MK Party MP Vusi Shongwe at the Madlanga Commission and complaints by witnesses when finalising discussions before adopting the final report. The committee will also look at other matters that may have arisen since it concluded its work, including the plea bargain by attempted murder-accused tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.