Cape Town - Speaker Baleka Mbete has appointed former news presenter Mandlakazi Sigcawu as her new spokeswoman, in a minor shake-up of Parliament’s communication team.
Sigcawu, who is the communications manager in the Office of the Speaker, didn’t waste time as she took to her new position, issuing a statement at the weekend defending the Speaker against reports portraying Mbete as being partisan and biased.
This followed Mbete’s latest run-in with an EFF MP in the National Assembly.
Mbete suspended Andile Mngxitama for five days for defying her order and being “disorderly”.
Sigcawu’s arrival comes after months of talks of unhappiness by some in the ANC over the way the Speaker and Parliament are being covered by the media following the EFF’s arrival in Parliament.
The appointment also follows meetings between presiding officers and Parliament’s communication officials.
The former CNBC Africa and SABC news presenter is married to Xhosa prince and chief of the Mbashe Traditional Council Xhanti Sigcawu.
Sigcawu said on Sunday that her position was not an entirely new one.
“It’s not a new position. There was a (communications manager) in the third Parliament,” said Sigcawu.
She said her weekend statement was “not about the EFF” but about parliamentary rules and procedures as well as media reports about Mbete.
“Taking into account the latest newspaper articles published on November 7, 2014, the EFF has further attempted to distract the media from the core business of the National Assembly, culminating in misinformation of the public,” said Sigcawu.
Did the Speaker lose it? “No she did not.
“She was decisively following and accurately implementing the rules and orders of the National Assembly,” said Sigcawu.
She said the question that arose was “Why was Honourable Mngxitama of the EFF this week suspended for a maximum of five days by the Speaker?
“The answer is simple and it is premised on parliamentary procedural requirements. It is important to indicate that Honourable Mngxitama was not suspended for the motion of the EFF.
“The member acted in a disorderly manner, including acting in defiance of the presiding officer,” said Sigcawu.
She also took a swipe at the media.
“In the media’s quest to formulate sensational headlines, it’s imperative that they not lose sight of their primary role of ensuring that they factually inform the South African citizenry about the House proceedings,” said Sigcawu.
Parliament spokesman Luzuko Jacobs could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
Parliament said last week that there was no attempt to involve officials of the administration in “party-political politics or to turn the administration into a propaganda machine”.
Parliament was reacting to a weekend news report that Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli had met with Parliament’s communication staff to “counter the Economic Freedom Fighters”.
Political Bureau