Parliamentary committee rejects weighted vote in Mkwebane's fitness probe

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa wrote to Parliament last month, requesting that National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise change how the committee handling Public Protector Busisiwe Mkwhebane’s impeachment will vote.

The rules committee met on Wednesday morning to enquire if there are grounds for the removal of Mkhwebane from office.

"Unfortunately honorable Kwankwa you have not persuaded members of the rules committee but there is an indication that there may well be a case at a later stage to review the rules as you are suggesting that certain options be taken," said chairperson Lechesa Tsenoli.

"It is very clear that the request for us to do this now has not won the day if I may put it that way. But it is not for me to make that decision, as you know the speaker referred this to the rules committee to discuss, so that when she makes a determination she has an understanding of the view of the rules committee."

Earlier Nqabayomuzi Kwankwa argued that it would be unfair that only two parties held the proxies for other parties that all have different constituencies.

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The committee will be made up from the 26 members of the 14 political parties represented in the National Assembly. 

 However, only 11 MPs will be voting members of the committee, and the remaining 15 will be non-voting members. 

 The UDM forms part of the non-voting members.

"Our proposal is that instead of allowing two parties to have a proxy on our behalf when we have two different constituencies,"  Nkwankwa said.

"Perhaps for ad hoc  committees and not portfolio committees we should consider a weighted voting system. Which will not distort the outcome of the voting process once it is applied to an ad hoc committee."

In March, the National Assembly voted for the impeachment of Mkhwebane after an independent panel report found prima facie evidence of incompetence and misconduct on her part.