Another Inkatha Freedom Party MP is likely to replace Gavin Woods, who this week resigned as chairperson of Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), writes Marianne Merten.
Indications are that the IFP is the party of first choice for the post, but it would mean Woods is out in the cold despite his stated willingness to continue working in Scopa, because the party can only send one MP to the committee.
It is understood that by Wednesday discussions were under way between the IFP and the African National Congress on the succession. The ANC’s new partner, the New National Party, appears to be out of the loop.
IFP MP Peter Smith has been touted as front-runner to follow Woods, who took over the Scopa chairmanship from the Democratic Party in mid-1999.
It is an established parliamentary tradition that an opposition MP chairs the public accounts committee. This position was reiterated by ANC chief whip Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula three weeks ago.
The leader of the ANC component of Scopa, Vincent Smith, said: “From my point of view, for us it’s important to maintain the relationship with the IFP because of the precarious position in KwaZulu-Natal.”
If the IFP is offered the post, questions could arise over the ANC-NNP co-operative governance pact, which agreed to NNP representation in all spheres of government.
Woods resigned this week in protest over what he described as the politicisation of the committee. He informed the party caucus of his considerations the previous Thursday two days after a tense and acrimonious in-camera meeting of Scopa that debated his complaints about the committee’s modus operandi.
Democratic Alliance Scopa member Raenette Taljaard is believed to be considering asking her party for a move to the public enterprises committee. It is also understood that United Democratic Movement’s Gerhard Koornhof may also quit Scopa if the new chairperson is a figurehead.
At Tuesday’s Scopa meeting the normally restrained Koornhof was clearly frustrated by ongoing party bickering. “I’m not prepared to work like this,” he said.