By Johnathan Paoli
Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating claims of criminal infiltration into the justice system was forced to suspend its proceedings on Thursday afternoon, after the credibility of key witness and ministerial chief of staff Cedrick Nkabinde’s testimony collapsed under scrutiny.
Committee chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, announced the suspension after lunch, citing the inexcusable nature of Nkabinde’s admission that portions of his affidavit were, in his own words, “thumbsucked”, as well as his failure to verify key details about meetings and communications involving suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and businessman Brown Mogotsi.
“If there is any moral standard that you subscribe to, summon that standard to your shoulders, and then write a statement that you think is deserving of the attention of this committee. Make a choice to help us to arrive at a decision that will help South Africa to move forward,” Lekganyane said.
The day began with senior counsel advocate Arendse leading Nkabinde through his testimony about his relationship with Mchunu and Mkhwanazi, and his role in arranging a meeting between Mchunu and Mogotsi.
But as questioning turned to a series of WhatsApp messages allegedly linking him to Mogotsi and controversial businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, Nkabinde began to falter.
He repeatedly claimed to be seeing messages for the first time, denied knowledge of being copied into chats, and dismissed several exchanges as “stupid messages” from Mogotsi that he had ignored.
Under persistent cross-examination from MPs, Nkabinde also appeared confused about whether meetings took place at Mchunu’s private or official residence, before retracting his initial claim and blaming an oversight.
However, it was his conflicting statements about the dates of key meetings that ultimately triggered the committee’s crisis.
Pressed by Economic Freedom Front (EFF) leader Julius Malema and other members, Nkabinde admitted that the dates in his affidavit were estimates made without access to his “gadgets”, namely his phone and laptop.
He conceded that he could not verify when the meeting between Mchunu and Mogotsi occurred, though his affidavit claimed it was in October or November 2023.
Malema immediately accused him of perjury, saying he was deliberately misleading the committee.
“You said you thumb-sucked your affidavit, that’s lying under oath!” he said.
The EFF’s Leigh-Ann Mathys added that her party would open a formal perjury case against Nkabinde, arguing that Nkabinde could not come before parliament with lies and expect to be taken seriously.
Several MPs, including the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s Sibonelo Nomvalo and Democratic Alliance’s Ian Cameron, agreed that continuing would compromise the credibility of the inquiry.
Nomvalo warned that if the committee’s final report goes to court, the witness will use the same excuses, urging that Nkabinde be sent back to recollect his thoughts properly.
Only Patriotic Alliance MP Ashley Sauls dissented, arguing that Nkabinde should be treated the same way as Mkhwanazi, who had previously corrected an error in his own affidavit.
“General Mkhwanazi lied. Mr Nkabinde lied. They are both wrong, but we can’t stop the entire process because of this,” Sauls said.
The exchanges descended into open bickering, with members interrupting one another and questioning procedural fairness.
Malema accused the committee’s evidence leader, Arendse, of failing to properly prepare the witness.
Lekganyane eventually restored order, reprimanding MPs for what he called “unnecessary wranglings” that undermined the committee’s work.
After consulting with members and legal advisors, he ruled that the proceedings would be suspended.
He added that the committee would reschedule Nkabinde’s appearance after he had “done thorough homework” and corrected his statement.
When recalled to be formally informed of the decision, Nkabinde acknowledged that his affidavit was flawed.
“Even the Lusikisiki date was wrong. It’s becoming a mess,” he admitted.
Lekganyane told him bluntly that claiming to lack his devices was inexcusable for someone of his seniority.
The commission urged Nkabinde to seek legal advice and amend his statement within the next ten days.
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