Speaker receives complaint against Madonsela

Parliament's ad hoc committee on Nkandla on Thursday (09/10/2014) heard that the legislature has received a formal complaint against Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.

The complaint was brought by a group calling themselves "concerned lawyers and educationalists for equality before the law", and called for Madonsela's removal from office due to her handling of the Nkandla investigation.

The committee resolved that the complaint be referred to Parliament's portfolio committee on justice.

The Nkandla ad hoc committee was due to report to the National Assembly on October 25, but is unlikely to do so.

Chairman Cedric Frolick said he would request an extension because the drafting of the committee's report was taking longer than expected.

Last month opposition parties withdrew from the committee dealing with the upgrades to President Jacob Zuma's private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal, saying they would not legitimise a process they claimed was designed to shield him from liability for alleged abuse of state funds.

They walked out after the ruling party refused to agree to call Zuma to answer questions and to enforce Madonsela's directive that he repay a portion of the R246 million spent on the refurbishments.

African National Congress MP Mathole Motshekga previously told the committee the "majority of legal minds" agreed with the president's view that remedies put forward by the public protector were not binding.

"Our view is that remedial action is not binding, it has the status of recommendations," he said, adding that the country's courts had not pronounced definitively on the matter.

The opposition parties said on October 3 that they would table their own report on the matter in Parliament. - Sapa