Parliament has resolved to consider the removal of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane from office on Monday, following an inquiry into her fitness to hold office.
This while the appointment of the new Public Protector will be considered on September 21.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the programme committee on Wednesday, after ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina made the proposal.
Last week, Parliament resolved to consider both the removal of Mkhwebane and the appointment of the new Public Protector on the same day - September 11.
However, Majodina said she had checked the time it took to consider the motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa in connection with the Phala-Phala scandal.
She said the motion of no confidence had taken three and half hours.
“Given the venue and its uncomfortableness, we are proposing as the ANC that lets consider one order paper, Section 194 inquiry, and defer the appointment of the Public Protector to a later date before we rise for constituency, which is at the end of September,” Majodina said.
Freedom Front Plus chief whip Corné Mulder said the proposal was reasonable and made sense.
IFP chief whip Narend Singh said he was humbled that he was listened to sometimes when he spoke, because he had raised the issue of timing on handling the two items at the last meeting.
"I agree we can't have two items on the same day,” Singh said.
National Assembly Secretary Masibulele Xaso said they would start looking for a venue for September 21.
“We will obviously look for a venue. We should be able to give a report as soon as possible,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parliament has decided that the tabling of the medium-term budget policy statement will take place on November 1.
This after the date, October 25, suggested by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, clashed with a parliamentary programme, the Inter-Parliamentary Union to be held between October 23 and 27.
Cape Times