Parly postpones ASA meeting

2009-09-18 20:06

Cape Town - The National Assembly's sport committee has postponed its meeting with Athletics SA (ASA) scheduled for Tuesday.

This was because of the change in the parliamentary programme next week, Parliament's communications service said in a statement on Friday.

The meeting would be rescheduled in the next parliamentary term, starting on October 6, it said.

ASA was expected to appear before the committee to explain its role in the Caster Semenya saga.

On Wednesday, DA spokesperson Donald Lee said he had written to committee chairperson Butana Komphela, requesting that ASA appear before the committee to explain its role in the debacle that "has resulted in one of South Africa's premier athletes having her privacy invaded and her constitutional right to dignity violated".

"Today, after discussions with the chair, he has agreed to the DA's request and, pending scheduling, will aim to call ASA before the committee in the next two weeks," Lee said.

Committee decision

However, on Thursday Komphela denied that the committee would haul ASA before it to explain its role in the saga.

Komphela told Sapa the decision to call or not to call ASA had to be a collective one made by the committee and not the chairperson on his own.

"Lee must present this matter to say he wants the parliamentary committee to call ASA or Leonard Chuene [ASA president]. From there, if the multi-party committee decides to call ASA then we will summon them.

"If the committee refuses, then we won't call ASA... I don't take decisions on my own, the parliamentary committee decides whether the matter is urgent or not," Komphela said.
 

- SAPA