Cape Town – National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says Parliament is not legally obligated to report its compliance with the recommendations of the state capture report to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s remarks came after a meeting between Parliament’s presiding officers and Zondo, which lasted longer than scheduled, a report said.
Zondo stated during a CSIR briefing on Thursday last week, which delved into a post-state capture South Africa, that Parliament had not implemented recommendations from the commission reports and predicted another attempt at capturing the state would be unsuccessful.
On June 22, 2022, the final of a series of damning reports from a four-year investigation into corruption under Zuma’s presidency was handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Yet to date, no significant progress has been made in prosecuting those involved.
“A year is a reasonable time to reflect”, on the work and progress of the commission, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo told a meeting organised by a research think tank in Pretoria.
“I have seen nothing that has changed,” said Zondo, who was the lead investigator of a judiciary inquiry, AFP reported.
Zondo said state corruption placed the democracy of the continent’s most industrialised country “at risk”.
According to News24, Mapisa-Nqakula said that Parliament had provided Zondo with a detailed outline of its adherence to the recommendations and that Zondo did not apologise for his views.
“We said, CJ [chief justice], there is no way you are finding Parliament for not following the processes.
“We followed the processes to the last you are talking about the majority, which overrules the process.
“That is a matter he can engage with political parties and civil society so people can know that when they go to Parliament, they are representatives of political parties, but equally, there are issues there should be driven by conscience,” the report quoted Mapisa-Nqakula as saying.
The ANC has faced criticism for blocking oversight measures proposed by the opposition, particularly regarding President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Phala Phala matter.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Twitter/ @Mrzwane_sifundo
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
