Defence and Military veterans parliamentary committee chairperson Dakota Legoete has apologised for cancelling a portfolio committee meeting that was meant to discuss the deaths of South African soldiers in the DRC. Picture: Jonisayi Maromo / IOL
THE chairperson of the defence and military veteran portfolio committee has apologised for the cancellation of the meeting that was meant to discuss the deaths of 13 SANDF members in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week.
“I sincerely and unreservedly apologise to my fellow committee members for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the meeting.
“I assure members of this committee and South Africans that the committee’s focus has not been diverted from its crucial oversight responsibilities,” Legoete said in a statement.
He said the cancellation was aimed to facilitate a meeting with the Minister of Defence.
The meeting was cancelled at the last minute to the condemnation of the opposition parties, who accused Legoete of wilfully stifling the committee in their oversight role.
DA spokesperson on defence, Chris Hattingh, said Legoete has attempted to reschedule and then suddenly postponed the critically important meeting of the committee without any consultation or input from its members.
He said the meeting was postponed a mere 12 hours before the scheduled start time.
“With the meeting intended to be an in-person event, most of the committee members were already on making their way to parliamentary grounds when they received word of the chairperson’s unilateral move,” he said.
“The chairperson’s conduct is nothing short of disgraceful,” Hattingh said.
EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys had said the postponement of the meeting was all about escaping accountability by Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga for her incompetence that impacted the lives of SANDF members as Legoete had attempted to cancel the meeting earlier as she did not find it “convenient” to account to the committee at that stage.
“It is even more disturbing to note that the chairperson of a portfolio committee, who is supposed to review and oversee the work of the committee of defence and military veterans, allowed himself to be intimidated and dictated by the very same minister to postpone such a critical meeting,” Mathys said.
But, Legoete said the SANDF and the Defence Ministry have communicated poorly in the wake of the public outcry about the deaths of the South African soldiers in the DRC.
He said the committee was therefore committed to the need for a proper engagement with Motshekga and the SANDF on the matter.
“This type of engagement would not have been possible in the scheduled committee meeting of 29 January, given the unavailability of the minister, who was attending the Cabinet Lekgotla,” he said.
Legoete also said other matters that will influence the content of such an engagement still have to play out over the coming days, notably the upcoming SADC meeting, which will strongly influence the situation on the ground. Such factors further influenced the decision to look for a later date to engage with the minister.
He said the committee has formally applied for approval from House chairperson Cedric Frolick to convene a joint meeting of their committee and the joint standing committee on defence for next Tuesday.
“This meeting will provide both committees with the opportunity to engage directly with the Minister of Defence and senior military leadership,” Legoete said.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za