The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has called on Speaker of the Limpopo Legislature, Makoma Grace Makhurupetje, to take decisive action against officials responsible for obstructing the Legislature’s oversight activities. This follows the Speaker’s withdrawal of two Oversight Committee reports, which are crucial for ensuring legislative accountability, due to serious procedural irregularities.
The withdrawal came after the submission of two unsigned reports with materially different content on the agenda of a meeting of the Legislature’s Oversight Mechanism Committee, causing confusion over which version should be considered. Additionally, the Speaker revealed that the committee meeting had convened without her knowledge or approval, nor had she signed off on any reports for the agenda. She also admitted that she did not know who had submitted the reports without her approval.
Alarmingly, the Speaker, in the presence of the Secretary to the Legislature and other officials, disclosed that certain officials were orchestrating an attempt to discredit the current administration.
However, the DA acknowledges that the Speaker has taken full responsibility for the situation and has committed to holding the officials involved accountable. We further welcome the Speaker’s willingness to engage separately with the committee, without officials present, where concerns related to nepotism, corruption, irregularities, and pending investigations were also disclosed.
We encourage the Speaker to release the reports without delay, hold corrupt officials accountable, and restore the integrity of the Legislature.