Two South African opposition parties have expressed concern at their exclusion from the South African government’s observer delegation to this week’s Palestinan presidential poll. However it appears that there is still an 11th-hour chance for opposition representation on the mission.
The 11-person delegation is headed by chairperson of Parliament’s foreign affairs portfolio committee Dumisani Sithole, an African National Congress member.
There are two other ANC MPs on the team, which also includes Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Brigalia Bam, religious leaders and foreign affairs officials.
DA spokesperson on foreign affairs Douglas Gibson said on Wednesday he was surprised that the delegation ”appears to be unrepresentative”.
The DA had been requested to provide observers for several African elections, and did so. It seemed odd then that the only political participants on the Palestinian team on were ANC members.
”For the eventual report of the observer mission to obtain maximum credibility and support, participation by at least the official opposition would seem to us to be desirable,” he said.
Inkatha Freedom Party spokesperson Musa Zondi said his party strongly objected to its exclusion from the delegation.
”Our concern is how were these Members [of Parliament] selected”, Zondi said. ”We call on the Speaker to put together a properly constituted parliamentary delegation which includes representatives of opposition parties.”
He said the IFP feared the ANC was using official structures for party political ends.
The observers are due to leave South Africa on Wednesday night and return on January 12.
No comment was immediately available from the department of foreign affairs, which announced the delegation on Tuesday.
However Sithole said: ”This delegation was put together by government, so it’s not a parliamentary delegation as far as I know, and so I’m not sure there was a requirement for party representation.”
Nonetheless, he said, he understood that an effort was being made to include two or three people appointed by Parliament, who could well include opposition MPs, to join the delegation at a later stage.
”I will assume that even at this late hour these attempts are still going on,” he said. ”So I would say there is no need for people to issue statements and say things that might not be appropriate.”
The department said on Tuesday that South Africa’s participation in observing the election was pivotal to the government’s efforts to help secure peace in the area. – Sapa