The Democratic Alliance today walked out of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Justice and Correctional Services‚ complaining that the chairperson‚ Mathole Motshekga‚ had shut down all debate and refused to allow opposition party questions about the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions‚ Nomgcobo Jiba.
This came after recently appointed National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Advocate Shaun Abrahams appeared before the committee to brief it on the agency’s finances.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said the party would report Motshekga to Cedrick Frolick‚ who is responsible for all Committee Chairpersons and their conduct.
“Motshekga is duty-bound to allow debate and engagement on all subject matter that does not breach the law. His failure to allow debate in this instance is born of political considerations that are a complete abuse of Parliament and its processes‚” she said.
She also accused Abrahams of spending “a substantial amount of time singing the praises of Ms Jiba”.
“He was clearly singing for his supper and justifying questionable decisions‚” she charged.
Breytenbach‚ who used to work for the NPA‚ said when the Chairperson of the Committee‚ shut down opposition questions by citing the sub judice rule‚ he had tried to make “Parliament complicit in a despicable campaign to protect Ms Jiba‚ who is presently the subject of an Inquiry by the Pretoria Bar Council”.
Jiba was officially let off the hook earlier this year following the NPA’s decision not to continue with her prosecution on charges of fraud and perjury relating to an attempt to prosecute the Hawks head in KwaZulu-Natal‚ on racketeering charges. Jiba also faced questions over her conduct in the “spy tapes” case between President Jacob Zuma and the DA.
Breytenbach said the DA would‚ later this week‚ be filing its supplementary affidavit in the Western Cape High Court‚ to ask for Jiba’s suspension pending a formal inquiry into her suitability to continue as the second-in-command at the NPA.
SA’s top prosecutions boss accused of being a praise singer by DA
This came after recently appointed National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Advocate Shaun Abrahams appeared before the committee to brief it on the agency’s finances.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said the party would report Motshekga to Cedrick Frolick‚ who is responsible for all Committee Chairpersons and their conduct.
“Motshekga is duty-bound to allow debate and engagement on all subject matter that does not breach the law. His failure to allow debate in this instance is born of political considerations that are a complete abuse of Parliament and its processes‚” she said.
She also accused Abrahams of spending “a substantial amount of time singing the praises of Ms Jiba”.
“He was clearly singing for his supper and justifying questionable decisions‚” she charged.
Breytenbach‚ who used to work for the NPA‚ said when the Chairperson of the Committee‚ shut down opposition questions by citing the sub judice rule‚ he had tried to make “Parliament complicit in a despicable campaign to protect Ms Jiba‚ who is presently the subject of an Inquiry by the Pretoria Bar Council”.
Jiba was officially let off the hook earlier this year following the NPA’s decision not to continue with her prosecution on charges of fraud and perjury relating to an attempt to prosecute the Hawks head in KwaZulu-Natal‚ on racketeering charges. Jiba also faced questions over her conduct in the “spy tapes” case between President Jacob Zuma and the DA.
Breytenbach said the DA would‚ later this week‚ be filing its supplementary affidavit in the Western Cape High Court‚ to ask for Jiba’s suspension pending a formal inquiry into her suitability to continue as the second-in-command at the NPA.
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