DIRCO Committee Chair abusing Parliamentary resources to attack DA

It is an absolute disgrace that the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Siphosezwe Masango, is seeking to abuse parliamentary processes by manipulating the public participation process on the Foreign Services Bill, merely to attack DA public representatives who have travelled abroad.

Mr Masango is abusing his position as the Chairperson of a Portfolio committee and is misleading the public.

Mr Masango’s statement is also completely false in its assertions about the Foreign Services Bill and what it seeks to do. His statement implies that the Bill seeks to prohibit the free movement of South African citizens to other countries that may undermine South Africa’s foreign policy.

Rather, the Bill is administrative in nature – as stated in the Bill’s explanatory memorandum: “the Bill intends to provide for the management, administration and functioning of the Foreign Service of the Republic of South Africa.” In no way will this Bill have an effect on any overseas trips or fact finding missions by South African citizens who are not members of the South Africa Foreign Service.

If this Bill seeks to infringe on the principle of cooperative governance or the independence of the spheres of government then the DA will not support it. Similarly, if this Bill in any way seeks to limit the free movement of South Africans abroad then it will encounter serious constitutional hurdles.

The ANC should desist from their attempts to play political football with this Bill – if they are not careful they may cause serious harm to the smooth passage of a bill which otherwise was likely to find support across opposition benches. If this game continues, then the ANC must be willing to face the consequences.

Statement issued by Stevens Mokgalapa, DA Shadow Minister on International Relations, 19 January 2017