The Acting Chairperson Ms Zukiswa Rantho, also the leader of Committee’s delegation tasked with meeting with Presiding Officers, met the Chair of Chairs Mr Cedric Frolic on the request of additional funding for the investigation into state capture.

Mr Rantho reported back to the Committee on Wednesday that Mr Frolic promised to reply to the Committee in writing today.

“Mr Frolic agrees on the process that we want to take and the resources that the Committee needs. He promised that the letter will indicate what resources are there with time frames, but it is worth noting that he could see the reasoning behind the request that we made,” Mr Rantho said.

Committee member, Ms Natasha Mazzone (also a member of the parties’ delegation) said also an indication from Parliament was that it understood frustrations of the Committee and the urgency of the state capture investigation.

“We explained our case for Adv Ntuthuzelo Vanara as evidence leader, and expressed that there is this feeling that the investigation was being frustrated,” Ms Mazzone said.

She said Mr Frolic assured the Committee that this was not the case, just that Adv Vanara is tasked with administering Members’ interests. “We insisted that Parliament should use resources in an appropriate manner and deploy Adv Vanara where his skills would be used to the utmost,” she said.

Committee member, Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, said South Africans were expecting the Committee to deliver on the state capture investigation.

“We could not allow a situation where Parliament loses control of this process and thereby rendering itself toothless and useless. This is the danger that outside funding poses. Parliament should avail resources for the investigation,” he said.

Members concurred that if there was a need for funding from outside, it should be coordinated through the Office of the Chair, and that there was a need to move with speed.

It was agreed that the Committee must attend a draft programme, meeting more than once a week, finding an evidence leader, and drawing up a possible list of witnesses to be called as a matter of urgency, and that they must indicate their availability within 24 hours.

The focus of the Committee’s investigation will be on Eskom, Transnet and Denel.

By Sibongile Maputi
23 August 2017