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The ANC and the DA want forensic investigators and other experts to comb through evidence before the impeachment committee to test the allegations against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The ANC also proposes that current and former employees of the State Security Agency (SSA) wishing to testify before the impeachment committee should first seek permission from the director-general of the spy agency.
Critics argue the proposal could be used to obstruct former spy chief Arthur Fraser, the man who lifted the lid on the Phala Phala scandal, from testifying.
Parliament is preparing to start with impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa over the alleged theft of hundreds of thousands of US dollars at his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
The ANC and DA proposals, along with others by parties such as the IFP, the EFF and MK Party, are set to be discussed during a meeting of the National Assembly’s rules committee on Wednesday morning.
Parliament is under pressure to finalise and adopt the rules for the unprecedented impeachment committee this week, as the body that may or may not remove Ramaphosa from office wants to hold its first meeting before the end of this month to deal with its terms of reference.
“Any witness who is or was in the employ of any intelligence agency who wishes to disclose classified information should approach the director-general of the State Security Agency in accordance with the relevant legislative prescripts for permission.
“Should the DG decline such a request, adequate reasons shall be furnished to the committee. If the committee is dissatisfied with such reasons, it may seek relief from the courts on an urgent basis, only if the hearing of such evidence is material to the work of the committee,” reads the ANC’s proposal in relation to the appearance of current and former spies before the impeachment committee.
The party also wants the committee to have powers to request the declassification of other information and investigative reports in terms of the Minimum Information Security Standards policy.
The party, which has nine seats in the 31-member committee, said forensic investigators were required.
“Noting that parliament is not an investigative body but exercises oversight and holds the executive to account, the complexity and the type of investigation that the committee is tasked with may warrant the appointment of forensic investigators, as some allegations of violations of the constitution may require this expertise to corroborate and validate evidence to ascertain sufficient evidence that may warrant a recommendation to impeach or not to impeach the president.”
The DA also proposes that the committee be supported by a host of experts during its impeachment inquiry.
“The committee must appoint independent evidence leaders, investigators, legal advisers or subject-matter experts, including forensic experts, to assist it.
“Such persons shall act independently and impartially and shall disclose any conflict of interest,” says the DA in its proposal.
The blue party, which has five seats on the committee, has also proposed that decisions of the committee be taken by a majority vote.
Other parties such as the EFF and the IFP have also supported the idea of arming the impeachment committee with a range experts from the banking sector, intelligence and security and more.
