Lawyers for Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool on Monday called for the recusal of most of the members of a special committee probing whether he misled his legislature.
The committee, which was to have begun formal hearings on Monday morning, was postponed indefinitely following the application.
It was set up to investigate contradictory statements last year by Rasool and the provincial auditor general (AG) on spending on security upgrades to the home of Western Cape minister of community safety Leonard Ramatlakane.
However, Rasool’s advocate, senior counsel Ismail Jamie, said on Monday four members of the six-person committee, including its chairperson, Yousuf Gabru, had voted in the legislature in March for a Democratic Alliance-sponsored resolution calling for an inquiry specifically into ”whether the premier has misled the house”.
This meant there was a ”reasonable apprehension of bias” against the premier on their part, he said, and they should recuse themselves.
Gabru is the deputy speaker of the legislature, and a member of the African National Congress (ANC). The other three to which Rasool’s legal team has objected are Zodwa Magwaza and Chris Stali, both of the ANC, and Mzwandile Manjiya of the United Independent Front.
The March resolution was subsequently changed to make it into an inquiry into ”whether the house and the public have been misled”.
After a brief adjournment, Gabru said committee members had considered the recusal request as well as an application by the AG for a postponement. A postponement would give the committee an opportunity to respond to the recusal request ”in more detail”, and give the AG more time to prepare.
He said there did not seem to be any point then in setting a date for the next meeting. — Sapa