National Assembly secretary Masibulele Xaso personally delivered the “state capture” report to the public protector’s office on Monday.
Xaso hand-delivered the report in Pretoria, where the new Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, took over from Thuli Madonsela. Xaso said he received confirmation that it had been received.
“Due to the time constraints, because we said we would send it to the public protector on Monday, it made sense for it to be hand delivered. It was hand delivered to Parliament on Friday,” he said.
The report was kept under lock and key in Parliament after Madonsela sent it there for safe keeping. But on Friday, Parliament said the report would be sent back to the public protector.
“The Speaker has an obligation in terms of the Rules of the Assembly to table all documents received for the information of Members, in order to ensure that the business of the Assembly is conducted in an open and transparent manner.
“This report however cannot be handled in the same manner. The report will accordingly be returned to the Office of the Public Protector,” Parliament said in a statement.
The institution did an about-turn on Saturday, after a meeting with ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu.
The ANC on Saturday said Speaker Baleka Mbete, would keep the report safe until Monday. Mbete distanced herself from Parliament’s earlier communication, which essentially rejected the report.
On Monday, the DA called for Madonsela’s letter to Parliament to be made public. Xaso said this was up to Mbete. In the letter, Madonsela asked for her report to be kept safe until Mkhwebane assumed office, Xaso said, which was what they had done.
[Source: News24]
