MPs angry as police minister Senzo Mchunu leaves during Q&A session

MK party MP and musician Gezani Eric Kobane, also known as Papa Penny, has expressed anger after police minister Senzo Mchunu left the house abruptly during a National Assembly plenary session on Tuesday when he was answering questions from MPs.

House chair Werner Horn said he had been told Mchunu had to take care of urgent business.

“He has informed us that his responses [to the remaining questions] will be filed in writing. That's as far as we can take it in the circumstances,” he said.

However, this was not received well by Kobane and other MPs.

“I'm not here to be a Popeye,” Kobane said. “I'm here to speak for the people. There is no favourite; we are all the same. Chair, you should have told us that the minister was leaving; treat us equally,” Kobane said.

EFF MP Omphile Maotwe argued that the minister should not have left as he had more questions to answer.

“The reason we are dealing with these questions is because these ministers did not respond to our questions. These were firstly written questions which they did not respond to.

“The minister knew that these questions were coming, now for us to sit here and be told that he had other business,  that's disrespecting this house, and we can't accept that. Remember they have deputy ministers, it's totally unacceptable for the GNU to behave like this.”

Horn said the deputy minister was also not in a position to answer questions.

MK MP Mzwanele Manyi said the chair could have consulted MPs before allowing Mchunu to leave.

“You are all covering for each other. If the chair was informed timeously or at any point before the minister left, the chair had the duty to come to the house and get concurrence. The you used your own discretion to allow the minister to go is wrong. You owe this house an apology,” said Manyi.

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