Home Affairs brass anxious for inquiry news
posted by admin in home cleaning serviceHome Affairs Director-General Mavuso Msimang has 
stuck to his guns about allegations that members of Parliament’s Home Affairs Portfolio Committee were “actively in contact†with departmental officials accused of corruption.
This came despite this week’s declaration by the committee’s chairman, Patrick Chauke, that Msimang had failed to substantiate his claims against the MPs.
Msimang told the Sunday Times he was anxiously awaiting a decision from National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete on whether to establish an independent inquiry, during which he could state his case.
Msimang said Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and her deputy, Malusi Gigaba, would be called as witnesses to prove that Chauke and his colleagues were in contact with suspended officials.
The committee is meeting on Tuesday to draft a report to Mbete to recommend that steps be taken against Msimang for making what Chauke termed “false allegations†that committee members were “colluding†with suspended departmental staff. This follows a heated argument at a committee meeting on Wednesday to which Msimang was summoned to substantiate claims he had made against MPs during a confrontational meeting in March.
Msimang said his allegations had emanated from a note Chauke had allegedly scribbled during one of the committee’s sittings and gave to Gigaba.
The note had indicated that the department “had no case†against one of the suspended officials. Gigaba had passed the note to Mapisa-Nqakula, who handed it to Msimang.
Chauke and the committee insisted that Msimang should table before the committee documentary evidence to back up his claims.
Msimang said he had not brought documentation, but asked whether Chauke was denying he had written the note. Chauke refused to say whether he had or not, and insisted Msimang brought documentary proof.
Msimang said his allegations against the MPs were also backed by ANC MP Kgoloko Morwamoche’s statement that the department suspended officials so that it could continue with its corrupt practices.
This statement, Msimang argued, was identical to a line of defence used by one of the suspended officials during disciplinary hearings.
“It will be stretching credibility to say the statement made by Morwamoche and the official is mere coincidence,†Msimang said.
Chauke dismissed this claim and said Msimang failed to substantiate the “collusion†allegations with documentation.
Msimang described this Wednesday’s meeting as a “charade†and “a travesty of justiceâ€, because he did not get an opportunity to state his case.
During the meeting, Chauke accused Msimang of being “arrogant†and said he was a departmental official who should not equate himself with the committee to which he was ultimately accountable.
The committee members had also taken issue with Msimang’s consistent assertion that their visit to a German ID smart-card producer had the potential to compromise the department’s tender procedures.
The MPs insisted they were not part of the department’s tender adjudication process and therefore had no role in influencing tenders.
Chauke in turn accused Msimang of undertaking trips to corporations abroad prior to the smart-card tender process. This, Chauke contended, was ethically more questionable than a visit by the committee members, who had no say in the department’s tender processes.
Chauke insisted that the trip was within the committee’s rights and it had sought Parliament’s permission to undertake the trip. All hotel expenses paid by the company were declared.
Tags: anc, assembly speaker, colleagues, committee meeting, committee members, company, corruption, departmental officials, departmental staff, director general, documentary evidence, documentary proof, embers, false allegations, home affairs minister, independent inquiry, lt, members of parliament, national assembly, portfolio committee, sittings, sunday timesRelated posts
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