Parliament’s ad hoc committee into the public protector is expected to continue its work after it sent questions to suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
However, Mkhwebane has indicated intends to lodge an application for the recusal of the committee’s chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi.
This relates to allegations of bribery against Dyantyi and ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina. Both Members of Parliament have denied the allegations.
Dyantyi had said the committee would need to finalise its work by the end of July, before Mkhwebane’s term of office comes to an end in October.
Another ad hoc committee set up to appoint a new public protector will be busy for the next few weeks and it has to finish its work by the end of August so as to allow for the transition to take place.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has already briefed the National Council of Provinces on the National Health Insurance, which will now process the Bill after the National Assembly adopted it.
Upon its return, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) is expected to hit the ground running with some deliberation.
On the subject of Eskom, the Standing Committee had summoned the power utility’s former CEO André de Ruyter to make submissions on his claims that politicians were involved in looting at Eskom and that he had informed Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Ramaphosa’s national security adviser Sydney Mufamadi about this.
Last week, Scopa met with senior officials at the parastatal’s head office in Johannesburg to get more details about some of the allegations made by De Ruyter.
Gordhan, Mufamadi, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Special Investigating Unit head advocate Andy Mothibi also appeared before Scopa to present their respective reports on Eskom.
Masemola said a crack team has been set up to deal with cases of corruption, theft and criminality.
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