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President Jacob Zuma’s announcement that he has promoted Faith Muthambi to the position of co-Chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Communication is in defiance of Parliament.

Last month, political parties in the National Assembly, including the ANC, adopted the hard-hitting report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the SABC inquiry.

The report found that Muthambi had “displayed incompetence” in carrying out her responsibilities as Shareholder Representative at the SABC and that the President should “seriously reconsider” the desirability of her retaining the Communications portfolio.

President Zuma’s promotion of Muthambi does not in any way demonstrate that he has considered the serious findings against Muthambi and is, in fact, a vote of confidence in her abilities as a Minister.

By ignoring the findings and recommendations of the SABC inquiry report, the President Zuma is therefore in active defiance Parliament.

As such, the DA will be submitting parliamentary questions to President Zuma requesting his reasons for ignoring the recommendations of a report of Parliament and why Muthambi has not been fired.

We will also write to the Leader of Government Business to ask him to intervene in this matter based on the damning findings against Muthambi in the Parliamentary report.

The President’s claim during Oral Questions to the President this month that he had heard that Muthambi plans to take the SABC inquiry report on review, and therefore cannot take any action against her, does not hold any water. Muthambi has not filed any papers to start a process of judicial review, and in fact, does not have legal grounds to do so. The findings and recommendations of the report, therefore, remain in force.

President Zuma has for too long undermined the authority of Parliament, in protecting himself and members of his Cabinet against accountability. The DA will ensure that this is brought to an end.

Issued by DA