Durban - The presence of the media in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature on Tuesday irked ANC law-makers, who demanded answers on who invited journalists to the Social Development portfolio committee meeting without their knowledge.
The drama played itself out at a meeting which was meant to discuss subsidy cuts to the province’s non-profit organisations (NPOs).
The explanations by committee chairwoman Yatima Nahara and the institution’s legal adviser that the media had a constitutional right to attend and report on the committee proceedings, did little to stop the ANC representatives in the committee demanding to know the perceived culprit.
The start of the meeting did not suggest that the media would be the elephant in the room, as Nahara jokingly described journalists as “rare visitors”.
“We have rare visitors – the media. I don’t know what we have done wrong today... But you are welcome to this meeting,” she said when welcoming those in attendance.
Soon after the brief discussion of the meeting’s agenda, ANC MPL and deputy chairperson of committees, Happy Blose, demanded answers about the media presence.
“When we started the meeting earlier, there was no media. Now there is MEC, there is media. I want to know who called the media,” Blose said.
Both Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi and Nahara denied inviting the media.
However, Nahara explained that the media could have received the committees’ programme from the legislature.
“Our meetings are open and that’s why I said we have rare visitors. I did not ask why they are here,” she said.
The DA’s Rishigen Viranna said the general public, including the media and citizens, could attend meetings.
“It is part of public participation,” Viranna said.
But, Blose and her ANC colleagues would hear none of this.
“Could we be positive enough to say we want to find out. We must not pinpoint fingers to this. We should be allowed to know exactly who called the media. In our meetings, we never had this practice,” ANC MPL Sakhephi Dhlomo said.
After again explaining that she did not invite the media, Nahara opted to ask the legislature legal adviser, Daphney Khuzwayo, to come to clarify further.
Khuzwayo reiterated that committee meetings were open to the public and they were “broadcast” on the legislature website.
“Maybe members that have interest can invite stakeholders. It is a constitutional right that the public can participate, and that includes the media,” Khuzwayo said.
“That is included in our guideline and standing rules. There is nothing wrong with the media being here. It is the right of the public to know what is going on in the meetings and for them (media) to be here is the way of communicating with the public what we do in our committees,” she said.
However, the explanation was not satisfactory to the ANC MPLs.
“We need to know so that for future purposes there must be an indication that media is interested in our portfolio committee meetings,” said Dhlomo, adding that it was odd that the MEC and Nahara did not know.
While ANC MPL Lizzie Shabalala grudgingly asked that the meeting continue, she asked the committee to “deal with this matter so that we have our facts right”.
Apart from the questions on the media’s presence, the journalists were not furnished with reports tabled at the meeting on the pretext that they were not counted as “guests”, though there were plenty documents – a growing trend in many of the committees.
Parties reacted with shock that the presence of the media had become an issue at the committee.
The IFP’s Blessed Gwala said those who had questioned the presence of the journalists were out of order.
“Media has a right to be at committee meetings. The meetings are open to the public,” Gwala said.
He also said it was news that the media were not given committee reports.
“It means there is something they want to hide, and don’t want the communities to know about. It is not good for South Africa,” Gwala said.
The DA’s Sizwe Mchunu said he hoped many people would subscribe to social democracy accountability, which was critical to any democracy.
“It is worrying that some members will probe the presence of the media. It creates an impression that there is something to hide from the public,” said Mchunu.
ANC caucus spokeswoman, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, said the fact that the chairperson was firm that media could attend the meeting was an indication there were rules in the legislature, but some members had their own views.
She also said the media should take up their challenges with the authorities in the legislature.
“If the media has challenges and don’t get joy, the next person to approach is the chairperson of committees and then the Speaker,” Simelane-Zulu said.