The spat between Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and the portfolio committee has escalated after his department accused the committee of reneging on its decision to hold the meeting with Gordhan behind closed doors.
The department said it had sent a request to the committee requesting that the meeting be held in camera because of sensitive information on the sale of SAA to Takatso.
It said rule 184 of Parliament allows for in camera hearings and this has been done in the past by the portfolio committee and other parliamentary committees in the National Assembly.
It said aspersions have been cast on the department of public enterprises as if it wanted to hide information.
The department said the committee had agreed for the meeting to be held in camera in line with the rules.
“The committee had agreed and granted authorisation, in a letter that the committee sent to the department of public enterprises prior to the engagement, that the meeting could be held in camera because of the confidential undertakings that the department made to other parties, consistent with the requirements inherent in sensitive commercial transactions involving private entities.
“But rather than abide by its undertaking, the committee reneged from the decision it had communicated to the department, saying in its letter to Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, we accept your request for an in camera meeting.
“In this context it disingenuous to suggest that the department of public enterprises would deliberately act in a manner that is inconsistent with the rules of parliament or would seek to undermine the role of parliament to hold the administration accountable,” said the department.
It added that the sale of SAA was at a sensitive stage and it had given an undertaking it would make available all documents once the deal has been finalised.
The committee had previously accused of Gordhan of refusing to give it two key documents on the sale of SAA to Takatso.
This led to tensions between Gordhan and the committee.
The department said it wanted to stick to its promise to make documents available after the process has been concluded.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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