AUBREY Mokoena – criticised for stalling the new Immigration Bill as chairperson of Parliament’s home affairs committee – has been redeployed to the backbenches.
But his stint there from May 1 may be short as African National Congress chief whip Nosisive Mapisa-Nqakula on Thursday said ”there are other plans in place” for Mokoena.
In March opposition political parties called for Mokoena’s resignation.
Progress on the much-delayed Immigration Bill appeared stalled despite looming Constitutional Court deadlines in early June to remedy the unconstitutional sections of the current immigration law. If the new law is not passed by then, Parliament would be in contempt of court.
In the making for five years, the Bill has been at the centre of a war of words between the African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party fuelled by the long-standing breakdown of relations between Mangosuthu Buthelezi and his Director General Billy Masethla. And Mokoena has been blamed for many of the snags since the Bill was tabled in Parliament last June.
Further dispute around the Bill was headed off by Speaker Frene Ginwala last month when she called a special meeting of the rules committee to set up a timetable to process the proposed legislation. Public hearings were held this week and the committee is expected to vote on the Bill next week.
Mokoena’s move was announced as part of a process of ongoing internal redeployment within the party.
In addition, the ANC will propose to Parliament it scrap all but the joint standing committee on defence, which represents both houses, to avoid stretching resources.