Testimony of forensic examiner Paul O’Sullivan at Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, came to an abrupt end when he walked out of the hearing.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Members of Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee, investigating allegations against SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, reported that forensic examiner Paul O'Sullivan walked out of proceedings, giving them 'the middle finger.'
His testimony abruptly ended on Thursday when he raised concerns about time constraints, stood up, and left while being questioned by Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize.
Prior to his exit, O'Sullivan engaged in a heated exchange with MK Party MP David Skosana, escalating tensions between them.
In response to his sudden departure, Skosana said that there 'has not been a paradigm shift away from white supremacy'.
“He undermines Parliament, he calls us crooks, even if he has withdrawn that (remark). But I can tell you now that this is what Paul O'Sullivan is all about - undermining Parliament.
“I mean, he has not started now; he's been doing (TV) interviews, insulting us. I mean, if somebody says we must kiss his a**, what else does that mean? It's simple. You can't say that it is a joke. There's no joke about that because he undermines Parliament and, in particular, black people,” Skosana said.
The testimony of O’Sullivan came to a sudden end when, after raising issues of a time crunch, he stood up, gathered his things, and walked out of the proceedings while being questioned by Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
“We'll be in contact with the South African Police Service now to make sure that Paul O'Sullivan does not leave the country… He has given us the middle finger. It cannot be accepted,” Skosana said.
“We have to make sure that we protect the integrity of Parliament at all costs. This cannot be allowed. We'll make sure that we follow all the proper protocols to make sure that Mr Paul O'Sullivan does not leave this country. As MK party as well, we’ll be discussing with our legal team to see whether we can do something as quickly as possible.”
Action SA MP, Dereleen James, added: “We have to act against this man, who thinks that he's above the law, which he's not.”
The ANC’s Khusela Sangoni-Diko said that the ANC was not surprised by what had happened.
“I think from when this committee started engaging with Mr Paul O’Sullivan, he demonstrated a lot of disdain, a lot of ill contempt. Very much undermining the authority of Parliament and the members of Parliament.
"For him to walk out in the middle of a session is a characteristic that we view, in a very dim light, and that is why we've accepted the guidance that the chairperson has given that we seek a legal opinion on how to deal with this matter,” Sangoni-Diko said.
“Nobody, nobody in the republic has the authority to undermine any structure of Parliament, and we'll make sure of that.”
The testimony of O’Sullivan came to a sudden end when, after raising issues of a time crunch, he stood up, gathered his things, and walked out of the proceedings while being questioned by Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
EFF’s Leigh-Ann Mathys said they wanted National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to act immediately.
Chairperson of the Ad Hoc committee, Soviet Lekganyane, said that they had had very good engagements with O’Sullivan in the last two days, but that there were those rough moments.
“We have seen more moments like that; it happens in every engagement.
“You would know some statements that the witness himself confirmed here today, that he has made about members of Parliament, statements that he has made about political parties,” Lekganyane said.
“And I think he went to the extent of saying that some political parties were formed through syndicate activities, and that would not have sat well with the members. That is basically why the witness was also driven to a point where he agreed to retract those statements,” Lekganyane said.
He said that O'Sullivan had raised that he needed to leave early but the manner in which he left had irked many in Parliament.
“It might have been that he could have been pressed for time. He must leave in a manner that we usually conclude our proceedings,” Lekganyane said.
Cape Argus