Ad hoc committee formed to investigate Nkandla scandal

In a statement, Parliament said the committee would consider the submissions made by President Jacob Zuma in response to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report and make recommendations where applicable.

The committee will have to report its findings to Parliament by 30 April, seven days before the general elections.

The 12-member committee will consist of seven ANC MPs, two from the DA, and one each from the Congress of the People, Inkatha Freedom Party and another representing the smaller parties. In terms of the rules of the National Assembly, an ad hoc committee may only be established for the performance of a specific task.

It would determine its own procedure, frequency and time of its meetings. Once the ad hoc committee has completed its task, it will submit its report and this will be published in the parliamentary papers and on Parliament’s website for public access.

The DA said the formation of the ad hoc committee was the first step in the impeachment proceedings against Zuma. The DA, which requested that Sisulu establish the committee, welcomed his decision.

“This bold move by the Speaker is a victory for Parliament, the constitution and accountability,” DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said.

Madonsela released her 400-page report on Nkandla, titled Secure in Comfort, on Nkandla on 19 March. The report estimated that the value of the upgrades at Nkandla were about R246 million and that Zuma unduly benefited from the upgrades to his KwaZulu-Natal homestead. Madonsela recommended that Zuma should repay a reasonable portion of the money.

Zuma broke his silence regarding the report almost two weeks later during a door-to-door campaign in the Cape Town township of Gugulethu.

“They did this without telling me… So why should I pay for something I did not ask for?” he said on an ANN7 broadcast.