Cape Town – Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane on Thursday called for steps to ensure democratic institutions, including the National Prosecuting Authority and the Public Protector, were shielded from political meddling.
At a media briefing at Parliament, Maimane said the ANC’s policy of cadre deployment had not resulted in service delivery, but had succeeded in turning vital institutions into “extensions” of the ruling party.
He proposed that the president’s power to appoint the head of the NPA be tempered by amending the law to make the decision, and any to remove the person, subject to the approval of the National Assembly. In the same vein, he said a multi-party committee of Parliament should select the national police commissioner, and that the legislation governing the appointment of the inspector-general of intelligence be changed to stipulate that the position should be filled by a retired judge.
Maimane also called for a new parliamentary committee to be established to oversee Chapter 9 institutions, which includes the office of the Public Protector, and for a judicial commission of inquiry to be set up to investigate turmoil at the SA Revenue Service, which had been shaken by claims of an illegal spy unit within the institution.
ANA