POLICE Minister Nathi Nhleko will be in Parliament this week to answer on his public spats with Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride.
Their fight is far from over after Nhleko insisted this week that McBride needs to be recharged.
But Parliament said it was still considering Nhleko’s fresh bid to have McBride disciplined by MPs as required by a Constitutional Court judgment.
Chairman of the portfolio committee on police Francois Beukman said yesterday it was not that simple to charge McBride and haul him before a disciplinary committee in Parliament without looking at the legal implications.
Nhleko has denied claims that he was gunning for McBride after he allegedly met with members of the Hawks to charge him on a decade-old matter.
McBride has accused Nhleko and others of wanting to get him out of his Ipid job.
Beukman confirmed that Nhleko would appear before MPs on Wednesday to discuss his spat with McBride and allegations that his girlfriend received R30 million in a contract to fight xenophobia.
The Civilian Secretariat for Police this week also defended Nhleko, denying that Indoni, owned by the minister’s girlfriend, Nomcebo Mthembu, was awarded a contract worth R30m. However, it said the contract was worth R348 000.
Beukman said the meeting would be preceded by a parliamentary meeting on whether to consider his request to recharge McBride in Parliament.
This was after the first inquiry was botched by Parliament, leading Nhleko to blast the ANC study group in Parliament and Speaker Baleka Mbete.
But Beukman said they wanted legal certainty before recharging McBride.
The issue will be discussed in the management committee of the portfolio committee on Tuesday.
“Depending on the outcome of the management committee meeting we will decide how to deal with the matter,” he said.
“The previous time the matter was on the table the view of the parliamentary legal services was that we can’t deal with the matter unless there is a resolution of the House.
“The matter is under consideration from the committee. We want to look at what is the legal implication for us. They did not want to take a decision that would backfire.
“The legal issue here is: can the portfolio committee proceed without a legal resolution from the House?
“The real legal issue is that if there is no House resolution can the portfolio committee deal with it?”
It is this legal issue that will enable MPs to decide on Nhleko’s request on whether to charge McBride again.
Nhleko has said in the past his relationship with McBride had irretrievably broken down.
He had said despite the Constitutional Court fight that he cannot suspend him unilaterally, their working relationship had broken down.
McBride has spoken out against those who, he claims, were intent on getting him out of Ipid. – Political Bureau