Postponed: Executive Undertakings: Minister of Police

Meeting report

The Chairperson informed the Select Committee that the Minister and Deputy Minister of Police were unavailable for the meeting. However, the National Commissioner of the SA Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, was present on behalf of the Ministry.

The Chairperson pointed out that the presence of the Minister of Police and his Deputy is required to pass Committee resolutions.

The Chairperson then opened the floor to the Members of the Select Committee to deliberate on whether the current meeting should continue or be postponed until the Ministry is available.

Discussion

Mr R Badenhorst (DA, Western Cape) raised an issue regarding receiving Committee documentation. He reported that he, along with others, only received the documentation for this Committee meeting at 7:10 am this morning - this gave Members of the Committee only a few hours to prepare.

Mr Badenhorst further noted that the preparation for this Select Committee meeting was complicated by previously scheduled caucus meetings earlier in the day.

Mr Badenhorst argued that the combination of the caucus meetings and the last-minute provision of Select Committee documents, hampered the ability of Members to effectively study the Executive Undertaking by the Ministry of Police. He further argued that sufficient preparation was necessary for Parliament to effectively provide oversight over the Executive and ensure that implementation is effective as stipulated by the provided Committee documentation.

Mr Badenhorst also argued that without the Ministry present, the Select Committee documentation would feel like a “tick box exercise’. This is because there will be no way to check the veracity of the Executive undertakings.

Mr Badenhorst reiterated that he felt there was not enough time for the Select Committee to examine the relevant documentation in preparation for the meeting.

Mr Badenhorst suggested the meeting be postponed, citing the lack of sufficient preparation time. The other reason for postponing the meeting was the absence of the Minister and Deputy Minister.

Mr Badenhorst voiced his displeasure at the Minister's non-attendance at the meeting. He reported how offended he was by the fact that the Minister who “made promises back in May 2023” was unavailable for this meeting.

Mr Badenhorst referenced the national crime statistics being released the next day which might have preoccupied the Minister’s attention.

Mr Badenhorst reported that the crime statistics estimated that more than 240 000 people were murdered in the last ten years with 100 000 murders occurring under the Minister’s tenure.

Mr Badenhorst implied that the Minister was deliberately avoiding accountability due to his absence.

Mr Badenhorst once again reiterated the difficulty of providing parliamentary oversight by receiving documentation only hours before the meeting.

The Chairperson acknowledged the comments from Mr Badenhorst.

In response to the issue of documentation, the Chairperson felt Mr Badenhorst did not check his email. This was because the relevant Select Committee documentation was emailed to Committee Members by the Select Committee Secretary on Sunday. This contradicts the claim by Mr Badenhorst that documents were not sent before the date of the Select Committee meeting.

Ms S Shaikh (ANC, Limpopo) said that since the Select Committee is tasked with dealing with Executive undertakings, members of the Executive are expected to participate.

Ms Shaikh requested that the Chairperson directly communicate with the Minster regarding attending the meeting.

Ms Shaikh echoed Mr Badenhorst’s displeasure at the Minister’s non-attendance. She further argued that Members of Parliament made themselves available to be present to hold the Executive accountable.

Ms Shaikh agreed with the proposal to postpone the meeting should members of the Executive not be able to attend a meeting focused on an Executive undertaking. She further added how unfeasible it would be to continue the meeting.

The Chairperson thanked the Select Committee Members for their comments.

The Chairperson formally agreed to postpone the meeting.

The Chairperson then requested the Select Committee Secretary to check and confirm the availability of the Minister for a future meeting. This is to complete the Select Committee programme before the end of the parliamentary term on 8 December.

The Chairperson then informed Gen Masemola that he could not do his presentation because of the postponement of the meeting and the absence of the Ministry.

Meeting adjourned