The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the unprecedented decision to suspend all further deliberations on important defence legislation until the interim reports of the national defence force service commission have been handed over to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.

This morning it was agreed that Nyami Booi, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, will forward a letter to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Leader of Government Business, advising him that the portfolio committee:

• has received guidance from the Max Sisulu, Speaker of the National Assembly, that parliament has the power to require any person or institution to produce reports;
• is now formally requesting that the interim reports be produced within a reasonable period of thirty days;
• that until the interim reports are received the portfolio committee has taken a decision to suspend deliberations on the Defence Amendment Bill; and;
• that in the event the interim reports are not produced the portfolio committee reserves the right, as a measure of last resort, to compel cabinet to produce the interim reports.

This is a major political blow for Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, who has consistently refused to hand over the interim reports of the National Defence Force Commission.

The decision by the portfolio committee will go a long way to roll back the accountability crisis at the department of defence and to ensure that the defence department is properly accountable to Parliament.

The bottom line is that the portfolio committee cannot allow the defence department to revert to the old way of doing things and become a "state within a state" that is not accountable to Parliament.

Statement issued by David Maynier, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of defence and military veterans, August 31 2010

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter