National Assembly (NA) Speaker, Mr Max Sisulu, has informed Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentary Leader, Ms Lindiwe Mazibuko that her request for the NA to be convened during the constituency period to consider a draft resolution to terminate the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Central African Republic (CAR) could not be acceded to.
Mr Sisulu explained that President Jacob Zuma’s letter sent to Parliament in January about the engagement of the SANDF in the CAR was referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence for consideration.
It is standard Parliamentary practice for Committees to consider matters before they are tabled in the House. This approach enables the House to take decisions from an informed basis.
The Joint Standing Committee on Defence had decided to convene a special meeting today (4 April) on the matter, in the wake of the recent developments in the CAR and in recognition of the urgency of the matter. The special meeting was being convened even though Parliament is in a constituency period.
The Joint Standing Committee on Defence is expected to report on the matter before it and may possibly also make recommendations.
An earlier proposal from the DA to establish an ad hoc committee to probe deployment of the SANDF in the CAR was also not acceded to. This was because the Joint Standing Committee on Defence was the appropriate structure to consider the matter.
