Malema leads clashes with evidence leader as ad hoc committee opens probe into Mkhwanazi claims

By Johnathan Paoli

EFF leader Julius Malema clashed with evidence leaders on Tuesday as parliament’s ad hoc committee opened its probe into KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations of criminal infiltration within South Africa’s justice system.

Malema led objections to the committee’s reliance on Mkhwanazi’s “supplementary statement” drawn from testimony he had already submitted to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

He said that parliament could not base its investigation on documents tied to an executive process, adding that the committee required an original statement addressed solely to parliament.

“In the history of this parliament, when our children and grandchildren look for General Mkhwanazi’s statement, they won’t find it in the archives. We are not a subcommittee of the Madlanga Commission. It is unconstitutional,” Malema said.

Other MPs from across parties echoed the concern, warning that accepting the supplementary statement risked undermining parliament’s independence.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP David Skosana said