Parliament’s legal advisers are expected to give an opinion on whether the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) inquiry draft report can be sent to the affected parties without recommendations.
Debate flared up on Thursday between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Ad hoc Committee, following the ANC’s Juli Kilian’s suggestion that the recommendations be excluded for now.
She said that the recommendations should only be considered after the committee received comment from the affected parties who would get the draft report.
Committee Chairperson Vincent Smith says, “All I want at the end of the day is that we should not be challenged by our principles. We shouldn’t be challenged by those who are subjected to our work and we should be able to defend it. So, the firm proposal that I am putting on the table, honourable members is, having listened to everything, can you guys (legal team) come back – and we give you 10 minutes – on Friday, to tell us what is the legal position; what is the common approach, as honourable Van Damme has been saying that the Public Protector does it this way. Can we use it as precedent? And then we shall meet at 8:15 and sit having listened to all that input, to take a decision.”
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and National Freedom Party (NFP) in the Ad hoc Committee shared the DA’s sentiments that the recommendations should be finalised and included in the draft report which will be sent to the affected parties for comment.
EFF committee member Fana Mokoena says, “Let us not jeopardise this process by suddenly changing direction on a very proper trajectory that we have taken so far. My concrete suggestion is that let us continue, work on the recommendation, send it out to the people and explain to them that even the recommendations themselves are not final.”
[Source: SABC]
