Cape Town - Parliament has named the 36-member committee that will consider the fitness of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold public office.
This comes after other parties finally heeded the call to submit names of 10 more members to serve on the parliamentary committee.
National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise recently decided to increase the number of members that will serve on the committee from 26 to 36.
Modise had also granted equal voting status to all parties serving on the committee after UDM leader Bantu Holomisa made a request.
Holomisa had written to Modise saying all parties should have equal voting status.
He stated that it was important that the individual party positions and views were reflected in all the decision-making processes of Parliament, starting with the committee process.
In terms of the make-up of the committee, all political parties with representation in Parliament will serve in the committee except AT which declined inclusion.
The ANC has fielded deputy chief whip Dorris Dlakude, Mondli Gungubele, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Qubudile Dyantyi and others.
Some of its MPs are alternate members.
The DA has sent Annelise Lotriet, Kevin Mileham, Baxolile Nodada and Leon among others.
The Economic Freedom Fighters has fielded Julius Malema and Omphile Maotwe while the IFP sent Zandile Majozi and Themba Msimang.
The Freedom Front Plus has sent Corne Mulder with Heloise Denner as an alternate.
The ACDP has fielded Marie Sukers, UDM Holomisa, GOOD Shaun August, National Freedom Party Munzoor Shaik-Emam, African Independent Congress Lulama Ntshayisa, Congress of the People Willie Madisha, Pan Africanist Congress Mzwanele Nyhontso and Al Jama-ah Ganief Hendricks.
In the ATC, a parliamentary communiqué, the national legislature said there were documents referred to the committee for consideration.
One of these included the motion by DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone calling for the institution of an enquiry for the removal of Mkhwebane.
Another document was the report and recommendations of the independent panel that conducted a preliminary assessment to determine whether there was prima facie evidence to show that the Mkhwebane committed misconduct or was incompetent on the grounds advanced in the motion and the documents before the panel.
The referral also included the resolution of the National Assembly that was taken on March 16 to approve the recommendations of the panel and establish a committee.
The panel – consisting of Justice Bess Nkabinde as chairperson and Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza and Advocate Johan de Waal – found that Mkhwebane has a case to answer.
The committee still has to meet to elect a chairperson and decide on its programme.
This takes place as the Western Cape High Court reserved judgment in Mkhwebane’s application to declare the rules for her removal unconstitutional.