Tlakula: MPs roast Thuli.

An AD hoc committee of the National Assembly has rejected Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's recommendation that parliament take action against Independent Electoral Commission chairman Pansy Tlakula, whom the protector says is guilty of a conflict of interest.

The committee has also strongly rejected Madonsela's proposal that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, decide on Tlakula's fate with the IEC's commissioners.

Madonsela has asked the speaker to refer her report on Tlakula to the Electoral Court.

The court has jurisdiction to investigate allegations of misconduct against IEC commissioners - but not against the chief electoral officer.

The committee, set up last month to look into Madonsela's report on Tlakula after she tabled it in parliament, met yesterday to consider the opinion of legal advisers.

Madonsela asked parliament to intervene after finding Tlakula guilty of a conflict of interest in respect of the IEC's procurement of accommodation for its head office in Centurion, Pretoria.

Parliament's legal adviser, Vuyokazi Ngcobozi, said the electoral court did not have the authority to deal with the Tlakula case .

The conflict of interest is alleged to have been when she was the IEC's chief electoral officer, before being elected chairman. Ngcobozi said parliament did not have a legal mandate to act on Madonsela's findings and should not investigate the allegations.

MPs took turns to slam Madonsela's suggestion that parliament take action against Tlakula.

The ANC's Johny de Lange said it was "naive" for Madonsela to suggest that Sisulu must decide on the action to be taken against Tlakula in consultation with the IEC because that would amount to political interference in the affairs of the electoral body.

"To try to act on something so far-fetched would be an absolute aberration if parliament does anything about it," he further said.

The DA's James Selfe proposed that, in view of parliament's legal opinion, Madonsela's proposed remedial action against Tlakula be thrown out.

"I suggest that the ad hoc committee resolve that it was unable to accede to the public protector's request on the grounds that to do so would be unlawful and unconstitutional," said Selfe.

The committee has requested its chairman, Llewellyn Landers, and Selfe to formulate a draft report to be tabled in the National Assembly next week for adoption before closing the matter.

Culled from Times Live ZA.