Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Tuesday failed to appear before the portfolio committee on home affairs in Parliament to answer allegations of misconduct by her staff, including by her deputy minister.
Committee chairperson Patrick Chauke told the committee he received a fax from Mapisa-Nqakula on Monday at 1.22pm informing him that she would not be available for Tuesday’s meeting.
The portfolio committee had requested Mapisa-Nqakula to appear before it to answer allegations that her Deputy Minister, Malusi Gigaba, had used home affairs funds for flights and car rentals.
Mapisa-Nqakula was also due to be questioned about problems in her department, including the shocking condition of a refugee centre in Cape Town Harbour.
Chauke said the manager at the refugee centre also declined an invitation to appear before the committee on the grounds that permission from the director general was needed.
Chauke said that a meeting with the minister had to be set up as a matter of urgency and should take place before the end of the month.
Mark Lowe from the Democratic Alliance said the allegations against Gigaba were serious and required an explanation.
Lowe said it was unacceptable that the minister had informed the committee chairperson one day before she was due to appear before it that she was not able to attend.
He proposed that the committee should use its powers of summons to ensure that she appeared.
Gigaba was at the committee meeting but said he would answer the allegations against him when Mapisa-Nqakula was present before the committee.
He conveyed his minister’s apologies and said she was concerned about missing the past two scheduled meetings with the committee because of factors beyond her control.
However, he said she had undertaken to find a suitable date for a meeting.
Chauke said a meeting with Mapisa-Nqakula had to be arranged as a matter of urgency as there was a danger of the situation in home affairs deteriorating even further.
”We need this meeting to take place before the end of the month,” Chauke said.
After the meeting, Gigaba declined to answer questions and said he would deal with the issues when he appeared before the committee with his minister. — Sapa