Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma’s return to Parliament next month could be in jeopardy if opposition MPs do not have their way in the ad hoc committee on Nkandla this month.
The committee is deliberating on the report by Police Minister Nathi Nhleko on Nkandla and the ruling party and opposition parties are still miles apart on the report.
The rebuttal of the report on several fronts is heavily stacked against the committee.
The meeting of the committee on July 21 will come a few weeks before President Jacob Zuma’s return to Parliament to answer oral questions.
However, the return of Zuma could hinge on progress made by the committee.
For the umpteenth time Zuma could not finish his reply session in Parliament after the EFF disrupted proceedings last month.
The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Cedric Frolick, confirmed on Monday that the meeting would take place on July 21.
However, it remains to be seen if progress will be made as opposition parties have roundly rejected Nhleko’s report. They have argued that it is flawed as it was not the minister’s call to determine whether Zuma must pay back the money or not.
They said Nhleko’s role in all of this was to determine how much Zuma needed to pay back.
The stand-off is set to continue between the opposition and the ANC if there is no agreement on this matter.
If the matter remains unresolved by the end of this month it will seriously affect Zuma’s return to Parliament next month.
The president stayed away from the national legislature for several months after he was interrupted by the EFF last August.
It was unprecedented in the history of South Africa that a sitting president was forced to stop replying to oral questions because of the disruption of proceedings by opposition MPs.
During his appearance in the National Assembly in June Zuma was not allowed to respond to a single question as EFF members interrupted him.
Later, Speaker Baleka Mbete said she deliberately chose not to call the police so that the voters and people at home would see who the culprits were.
In February Mbete called in the police who removed EFF members, causing a fracas in the chamber, and the Speaker was chastised by the opposition for her action.
Opposition parties went a step further and in court challenged the use of police in Parliament.
The Speaker told the media last month, after Zuma was interrupted, that Parliament would not be held to ransom by a party while the rest of the parties wanted Parliament to continue with its work.
Political Bureau