Cape Town - The Congress of the People has called on Parliament to form a joint ad hoc committee to look into the implementation of the recommendations of the Zondo Commission report.
The party also wants National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe-Mapisa to suspend serving MPs implicated in the commission’s reports.
In a statement, national spokesperson Dennis Bloem said on Monday Parliament was turned into the laughing stock of the world over the past 15 years due to one dominant political party that undermined all democratic processes.
Bloem said even the Constitutional Court found that Parliament did not hold the executive accountable.
“We therefore demand Parliament establish a joint ad hoc committee that will be responsible for the implementation of the recommendations of the Zondo Commission's report,” Bloem said.
He said the ad hoc committee should consist of all political parties represented in Parliament on an equal basis.
“The chairperson of the committee must be appointed from the opposition parties and not from the dominant party. The above-mentioned committee must table its report to Parliament within 90 days,” Bloem said.
He also said the fate of all suspended MPs should be decided by the ad hoc committee.
“We also acknowledge the fact that the Zondo Commission report has also recommended that the law enforcement agencies must pursue criminal charges against some individuals, including some MPs,” he said.
Bloem said Mapisa-Nqakula should suspend or place on special leave all MPs who are implicated in the Zondo Commission report.
“As the Congress of the People, we will not get tired of fighting corruption in all its forms. The dignity and integrity of Parliament must be restored,” he said.
Cope made its call days after President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a letter to Mapisa-Nqakula informing her that the Zondo Commission presented the final report on June 22.
In his letter dated June 24, Ramaphosa reiterated that he would formally present to Parliament the full report of the Commission together with an indication of his intention on the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.
He said Parliament should engage in its own process on the recommendations that affect it directly.
“He states that he shares this portion of the report, and any other portions thereof with similar contents, to assist in this work,” Mapisa-Nqakula said in a parliamentary communiqué known as Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC).
In May, spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the national legislature has swiftly initiated processes to implement its recommendations on aspects of the report that have a direct bearing on parliamentary business.
Mothapo said while the official submission of all outstanding reports was awaited, Parliament has already started working on systems based on publicly available copies of the reports.
“Parliament's research department is currently processing the reports, summarising them into, amongst others, action plans to improve Parliament’s execution of its constitutional mandate consistent with the corrective measures contained in the reports.”
Mothapo also said parliamentary legal services had conducted an analysis of the reports and had generated a legal opinion proposing a process Parliament should follow in dealing with the reports once officially submitted.
“Parliament has an obligation to implement corrective measures from the commission's reports with regards to areas where Parliament has a role to play.”
Mothapo added that Parliament has a responsibility to oversee the executive and state agencies' actions in the implementation of the commission’s recommendations.
“The Rules Committee will, at an opportune time, consider how best to process the reports and implementation plan in their entirety,” he said in May.
The legal opinion, which was obtained by Mapisa-Nqakula, had advised that Parliament determine whether any implicated MPs have breached or failed to comply in particular with the ethics code.
It recommended to Mapisa-Nqakula refer part three of the report to the Ethics Committee to consider the alleged breach of the Ethics Code by National Council of Province delegate Winnie Ngwenya and House chairperson Cedric Frolick.
Cape Times