Gauteng EFF objects to Scopa secrecy request

The EFF in Gauteng has objected to being sworn to secrecy under a requirement set for members of the provincial legislature in the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) before executing their duties.

Calling it unethical, the EFF accused education MEC Matome Chiloane of sending out communications making this demand for MPLs to be sworn to secrecy before the relevant documentation can be arranged. 

EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said the proposal was made by Scopa chairperson Sochayile Khanyile for the meeting to be held on Tuesday.

"The role of Scopa is to exercise oversight over provincial and local government on behalf of the provincial legislature to ensure there is accountability in how public funds are used and to guide against wasteful, unauthorised, irregular and fruitless expenditures," he said.

Dunga said the committee is meant to guard against corruption and serve as a watchdog over how taxpayers’ money is used by members of the executive.

"The information provided to the committee is eventually consolidated and made available to the auditor-general, who makes findings and publishes the reports as per section 188 of the constitution."

The duty of the committee was not only to prevent corruption and misuse of public funds but also to correct and expose such corruption and misuse, he said.

"The proposal for MPLs to sign an oath of secrecy is an attempt to classify information that is meant for public consumption. It restricts the free flow of information and portrays an image of public representatives who are sworn enemies of openness, accountability and transparency and are anti-corruption."

The legislature was a house of the people, he said, and members were representatives of the constituency which elected them and acted on behalf of the people to whom they were accountable.

"To force them to swear an oath of secrecy is to prevent them from accounting to the public and to gag them from exposing what could be wrongful or criminal activities the public deserves to know."

He said the oath taken by members when they were sworn in the first time was sufficient to allow them to execute their duties with integrity.

"Any other proposal beyond this should be received with suspicion.

"The EFF in Gauteng rejects this attempt by Khanyile to mask corruption of ANC leaders and their cronies. This is an attempt to render such a crucial institution powerless and incapable of holding the executive to account."

Dunga called on Khanyile to desist from such unethical conduct and withdraw the proposal with immediate effect and said the meeting scheduled for today must be rescheduled to a date when this would have been resolved.

"The EFF also calls for members of the committee, especially those from the opposition parties, to reject this proposal and refuse to be complicit in the corrupt activities of the ANC and not allow the committee to be used as an extended branch of the ANC where corruption is institutionalised."

He said for an open, accountable and corruption-free government, members of the provincial legislature must have the necessary freedom of expression to allow them to speak out without fear of victimisation.

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