The ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is yet another missed opportunity by parliament to assert itself as the supreme authority for accountability.
The committee held its last public hearing on Wednesday, with chairperson Soviet Lekganyane asking Mkhwanazi to assess the work of the committee. Mkhwanazi responded that he had been observing proceedings and that the posture of MPs, at times, worried him as they “seem to pre-judge things”.
He softened the blow by adding that it had been encouraging though to see parliament working hard and working long hours.
This was Mkhwanazi’s second appearance before the committee, this time to respond to counter-allegations made against him by some of the witnesses who participated in the process.
The ad hoc committee was established following Mkhwanazi’s media briefing on July 6, during which he made damning allegations of corruption and political interference involving high-ranking law-enforcement officials.
If MPs in the parliament oversight committee responsible for police were doing their work, we wouldn’t have had the ad hoc. Dare I say, we wouldn’t have had the R148m Madlanga commission either.
It was BBLs, consensual sexual affairs between adults, playing politics and giving partisan commentary disguised as clarity-seeking questions instead of focusing on the endemic, embedded, systemic corruption.
They would have picked up signs or cases of interference and corruption as alleged by Mkhwanazi in the normal course of their work.
On this front, they failed. Accordingly, parliament established a special committee to investigate the allegations.
The committee’s work ― witness testimonies ― began in earnest and for a while, observers were pleasantly surprised as MPs asked relevant questions with chair Lekganyane leading from the front. Fears of another parliamentary cover-up fell by the wayside.
The committee was so intent on getting answers, it went to the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison to speak to Vusimuzi Cat Matlala, a central figure in the alleged capture of the police, according to Mkhwanazi.
The evidence presented to both the ad hoc committee and the Madlanga commission shows that he is not just a criminally accused, but has influence right to the top structures of the police.
The engagement with Matlala was robust, albeit cringeworthy at times, what with MK Party MP Vusi Shongwe repeatedly addressing the crime suspect as “grootman” and wishing him well.
The worst was still to come.
One wonders what Christmas presents MPs got or what was in their Christmas punch because before the festive period break, they had been asking pertinent and important questions, but on their return, the tone changed.
It was BBLs, consensual sexual affairs between adults, playing politics and giving partisan commentary disguised as clarity-seeking questions instead of focusing on the endemic, embedded, systemic corruption.
The exchanges with some witnesses were inappropriate.
The same MPs who had Matlala squirming were fixated on grandstanding. The change of tone, the partisanship and the politicking could not be missed.
The committee seemed distracted from the real, underlying issues in the police.
As we await the final report, one hopes they will reflect, not only on what is before them but on what they missed and what they could have done better.
As Mkhwanazi noted: “My understanding is that the committee’s job is to listen to evidence and probe, but not to jump to their own conclusions. It was a bit concerning because if you look back at the clips of those sittings, you will find instances of that behaviour.”
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