President Jacob Zuma must account to a parliamentary committee on the CAR

The Democratic Alliance's chief whip Watty Watson has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, requesting him to review the decision not to appoint an ad hoc committee to investigate the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The Joint Standing Committee on Defence hearing on the deployment was a disgrace and did irreparable damage to the image of Parliament. The committee simply does not have the capacity to conduct a complex investigation into the SANDF deployment in the CAR.

Moreover, any investigation into the deployment would have to traverse several state departments, including the Presidency, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, all of whom had a hand in the deployment.

The Democratic Alliance's chief whip, Watty Watson, has therefore written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, requesting him to review the earlier decision, and to establish an ad hoc committee, in terms of NA Rule 214 (1) (b), comprising of members of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence and Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, to investigate the SANDF deployment in the CAR.

We envisage the ad hoc committee using all the powers of parliament, including if necessary powers to summon any person to give evidence under oath or to produce documents, to conduct the investigation into the deployment.

Documents will have to be discovered to the ad hoc committee including copies of at least the following:

• all Memorandums of Understanding between South African and the CAR;
• all Notes between Parties amending the Memorandums of Understanding between South Africa and the CAR;
• all documents relation to the Joint Defence Committee responsible for the implementation of the agreements between South Africa and the CAR;
• all Cabinet Memorandum's authorizing the deployment of the SANDF in the CAR; and
• any Status of Forces, Status of Mission Agreements, Rules of Engagement and Directives of the Use of Force and Firearms;
• all business plans, all diplomatic cables and country reports from the South African Embassy in Cameroon pertaining to the CAR;
• all diplomatic cables of the relevant Defence Attaché pertaining to the CAR; and
• all directives to the Force Commanders deployed to the CAR.

Moreover, a large number of witnesses, who would be in a position, to assist the committee, would have to be called to appear before the committee including at least the following:

The Presidency

• Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane MP;
• Director-General Dr. Cassius Reginald Lubisisi; and
• Special adviser on international relations Lindiwe Zulu.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation

• Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane MP;
• Director General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Ambassador Jerry Matjila; and
• Ambassador Zanele Makina who is responsible for the CAR.

Department of Defence and Military Veterans

• Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula MP
• Secretary of Defence Sam Gulube;
• Chief of the South African National Defence Force General Solly Shoke; and
• Chief of Joint Operations in the South African National Defence Force General Derrik Mgwebi.

However, ultimately President Jacob Zuma, who was responsible for the decision to deploy the SANDF in the CAR, must appear before the ad hoc committee to account to Parliament.

In the end, we need an ad hoc committee to get to the bottom of why thirteen soldiers died in a country so strategically insignificant that we did not even have an embassy in Bangui, capital of the CAR.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, April 15 2013

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