Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has got into a war of words with DA MP Dr. Mimmy Gondwe, who objected to his use of public money to take a parliamentary report on review.
The minister insists he is within his rights to take the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises’ report on review, if it calls for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate the Takatso deal to sell 51% of the government’s stake in SAA.
Gordhan said the Committee’s report was irrational, legally flawed and replete with factual inaccuracies and lies.
Gordhan argued that it was his legal right to take the report on review if he was advised that there was a legal basis for the investigation. ‘No-one, including you, will threaten me not to exercise my legal rights to take the report on review’.
He reiterated that his department had always co-operated with the Committee and submitted to it the documents it was legally expected to provide.
Gordhan said Gondwe’s accusation that he had little or no respect for the legislative oversight role of Parliament was disingenuous, that she had chosen to be silent at the portfolio committee meetings, and that she was only playing election politics.
Gondwe hit back, accusing Gordhan of demeaning her and her agency as a public representative by calling her ‘undignified’.
‘As a Member of Parliament, elected on my own merit and on the basis of my capabilities, I do not take kindly to the insinuation made in your letter, where you appear to imply that I am incapable of thinking for myself and have to take ‘directions’ from some ‘party bosses’ to do my parliamentary work.’
She said it would lead to the unnecessary waste of taxpayer money on frivolous litigation.