Dysfunctional Portfolio Committee on Defence & Military Veterans shields Minister from scrutiny and oversight by Parliament

23 February 2015 

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, is being shielded from scrutiny and oversight by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.

The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans has a constitutional responsibility to provide scrutiny and oversight of the Department of Defence. 

However, the Committee rejected proposals, submitted on 11 December 2014 by myself in writing, for four briefings on the: 

Findings and recommendations of the Military Ombudsman's investigation into allegations of abuse at the South African Army Infantry School;

Confrontation between the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Oudtshoorn on 17 May 2014;

Findings and recommendations of the Ministerial Medical Task Team on the state of the South African Military Health Service;

Findings and recommendations of the internal audit and forensic audit into allegations of procurement irregularities in the Department of Military Veterans. 

Moreover, the Committee rejected proposals, submitted on 11 December 2014 by myself in writing, for the discovery of eight reports including the: 

Interim report of the Military Ombudsman's investigation into allegations of abuse at the South African Army Infantry School completed on or about 20 May 2013;

Final report of the Military Ombudsman's investigation into allegations of abuse at the South African Army Infantry School completed on or about 13 December 2013;

Final report of the Board of Inquiry into the suicide/deaths of students at the South African Army Infantry School completed on or about 25 April 2013;

Report on the confrontation between the South African National Defence Force and the South African Police, entitled "Fact Finding Mission: Oudtshoorn" completed on or about 25 May 2014;

Interim report of the Ministerial Medical Task Team completed on or about 30 April 2014;

Final report of the Ministerial Medical Task Team completed on or about 15 August 2014;

Final internal audit report relating to allegations of procurement irregularities in the Department of Military Veterans completed on or about 30 April 2014; and

Final forensic audit report, entitled "Report of the Forensic Investigation into Allegations of Procurement Irregularities at the Department of Military Veterans completed on or about 18 July 2014.

The suggestion that these briefings and documents may be dealt with "later" is simply a delaying tactic given the fact that last year the Committee rejected similar proposals made in writing on 01 October 2014.

At the last Committee meeting on 18 February 2015, a committee member let slip that the programme was determined by a "management committee", which is not provided for in the Rules of the National Assembly.

I will, therefore, write to Mr Stanley Motimele, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, requesting him to provide me with details of the shadowy "management committee" which determine the programme including: 

The name of the chairperson of the management committee;

The name of the members of the management committee; and 

Particulars of the agenda, date, time and venue of each meeting of the management committee.

Moreover, I will also request him to provide me with the minutes of each meeting of the management committee.

I am not going to sit back and allow Mr Stanley Motimele and his shadowy "management committee" to shut down scrutiny and oversight by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, February 23 2015

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