Members of the section 194 committee have thrown out the application by suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane for chairperson of the committee Qubudile Dyantyi to recuse himself.
The lawmakers said the issues raised by Mkhwebane do not belong to the committee, but to law enforcement agencies.
Mkhwebane lodged an application for Dyantyi to recuse himself, but Dyantyi initially sent his response to Mkhwebane refusing to do so.
He said there was no basis for him to do so, as he had done nothing wrong.
Mkhwebane had accused Dyantyi, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina and late ANC MP Tina Joemat-Pettersson of soliciting a bribe from her, via her husband David Skosana, to make the case go away.
But Dyantyi and Majodina denied the allegations against them.
In the meeting of the committee on Friday, political parties said the recusal application by Mkhwebane must be thrown out.
ANC deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude said they reject the application by Mkhwebane.
“The issues raised in this application do not belong to this committee. We have said many times before that they must take that to the relevant authorities. We cannot be dragged to something that does not belong to this committee,” said Dlakude.
Another ANC MP, Xola Nqola said the committee must continue with its work and Dyantyi to preside over the inquiry.
He said there was no tangible evidence that has been brought against Dyantyi that he was directly involved in trying to solicit a bribe.
He added that the committee cannot be dragged into issues that belong to law enforcement agencies whose job was to investigate the allegations, and not the committee.
Nqola said he hoped this closes the chapter on the application.
IFP MP Zandile Majozi said the committee must not accept the application as it has no basis.
She said these were delaying tactics.
Dyantyi said this closes the chapter on the saga and the committee will focus on the draft report.
“I take it that members of the committee are saying this matter does not belong here. You also say there is no reason to remove me. If there is a grievance, that grievance must be sent to the correct address and the section 194 is not that address,” said Dyantyi.
Politics