The Congress of the People’s parliamentary chief whip, Mbhazima Shilowa, is being whipped by colleagues in the National Assembly. They are unhappy with his continued absence from important parliamentary business and have labelled him a “bad leader”.
A copy of Cope’s attendance register of portfolio committee meetings, leaked to the Mail & Guardian, shows Shilowa attended none of the eight meetings of the ad hoc committee on the national planning commission green paper between June and December last year.
However, a Cope MP who did not want to be named said he knew that Shilowa had attended “at least one” of these meetings.
Shilowa said his critics were unfair because they know that he serves on several committees, the meeting times of which often clashed with one another. He also attends the chief whip’s forum, which meets every Wednesday. In addition to that, as Cope’s deputy president, he sits on the party’s national working committee, which sits on Mondays. “One has to work out which one will be a priority. It is true and important that we ensure that everyone attends committee meetings, but if I had a committee meeting and I had work at the party, I would prioritise the party meeting.”
He denied that he had not attended a single meeting of the ad hoc committee on the green paper on national planning, but added that he would often prioritise the meeting of the joint standing committee on intelligence.
Shilowa’s responsibilities as a chief whip include coordination of Cope’s activities in Parliament, ensuring that the party participates fully by submitting questions on issues of national interest and holding the government accountable. The party’s operational structures are supposed to be directed from the chief whip’s office.
Shilowa is known to want the leadership of the party, but critics who would prefer that president Mosiuoa Lekota retain the presidency said unless the former Gauteng premier improves his participation in Parliament, his record would fail to speak for him come conference time.
Cope parliamentary leader Mvume Dandala attended 13 of the 19 meetings of his parliamentary portfolio committee on rural development and land reform.
Cope spokesperson Phillip Dexter said the MPs’ performance in Parliament was one of the key things that would be discussed at this weekend’s strategic meeting. “We will look at the activities and performance of our MPs and evaluate them all based on the criteria we will set.”
The party’s parliamentary media officer, Lorato Tshenkeng, said members would sometimes send an apology to their respective committees if they could not attend meetings. Where possible, Cope sent an alternative member to represent the absent MP, but Tshenkeng conceded it was not always possible because the times of committee meetings often clashed.
Cope will hold its strategic meeting this weekend, to be attended by national committee members, as well as MPs and members of provincial legislatures.