Former committee chair admits failure to investigate Gupta allegations
The former chairperson of Parliament's oversight committee on public transport has admitted to the state capture commission that her committee failed in its duty by not investigating allegations of state capture at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
Dikeledi Magadzi appeared before the commission on Monday.
When allegations of state capture at Prasa were brought before the commission in 2015, Magadzi said her committee resolved that it would not be able to investigate.
It was alleged at the time that the Guptas attempted to unlawfully influence a R51 billion tender for 20 locomotives, as well as Prasa board appointments.
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Mannie de Freitas sent Magadzi a letter calling for the committee to investigate.
"Once you put issues to the committee and the committees discusses and the outcome is that the committee does not believe it can take the matters forward, that is the decision of the committee not mine.
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“Much as it was all in the newspapers, we never took it up because the committee felt it was not neccesary to call the implicated individuals to account," said Magadzi
After being probed for several hours on the matter, Magadzi eventually admitted that the committee failed in its duties.
"In hindsight I think the committee should have done something about what was out there in the newspapers. But we decided that we could not be able to do this, but I do think in hindsight we could have done better," she said.
She told the commission that despite not doing anything, the committee did recommend and call for law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations.
In 2016, another DA MP, Natasha Mazzone, tabled a motion for Parliament to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of state capture and corruption.
Magadzi is one of the ANC MPS who voted against the motion.
She told the commission she was acting along party lines.
"When we are in Parliament, we are not in Parliament by ourselves. I was representing the ANC and ensured I toed party lines, and that is exactly what I did."
