11 Nov 2020

Leader of Opposition, Mr Dumelang Saleshando has told Parliament that members of opposition parties have collectively rejected to serve in the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security.

Presenting a statement in Parliament on November 10, Mr Saleshando explained that the decision was driven by the fact that the committee had forfeited principles of parliamentary oversight committees.

“The moment a committee of Parliament is appointed by the President and reports to the President then that committee cannot automatically pass the basic test of an oversight committee,” he said.

He said the committee was last appointed in 2014 and had largely been dysfunctional, which led to some members’ resignation.

Mr Saleshando said even though the appointments complied with provisions of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) Act that empowered the President to do so, such appointments ceased to be parliamentary committees as they directly reported to the head of state, unlike other conventional parliamentary committees.

He said with the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security solely under the President’s watch, there was a likelihood of misuse of power and funds.

Mr Saleshando said the Presidential appointments into the committee would have no impact in reversing the rot at DIS noting that it was only appropriate for opposition parties to reject their committee appointments.

He called on the President to prioritise subjecting the DIS to a forensic audit, adding that there should also be an overhaul review of the DISS Act to ensure that it complied with international best practices. ENDS