Scopa sorry for report 'confusion'

2011-08-11 21:37

Cape Town - The chairperson of Parliament's public accounts committee (Scopa) has apologised for "any confusion" about Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report on the SA Police Service lease deals.

"My statement about the referral of the report of the public Protector [to Scopa] was due to a misreading of the Announcements, Tablings, and Committee (ATC) Reports, a publication of Parliament, dated July 27 2011," Godi said in a statement on Thursday.

"The report of the public protector was not referred to the committee on public accounts," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Parliament denied that the report had been referred to Scopa.

"In terms of the Rules of the National Assembly the Speaker must table, among others, all reports and other papers submitted in terms of legislation," Parliament's communications service said in a statement.

This was done by way of an entry in the ATC reports published daily.

The rules also determined that such reports and papers were referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker.

Madonsela's report was received and tabled in the ATC of July 27, and was not at that stage referred to any committee.

"This report, together with many others that were received while Parliament was engaged in constituency and committee work, will be referred to the appropriate committees when the National Assembly begins sitting next week."

The matter had since been discussed with Godi, who had indicated that his statement about the report's referral to his committee had been due to a "misreading" of the ATC of July 27.

An entirely different report - a reply from the minister of justice and constitutional development to another Scopa report - had been referred to that committee.

"Mr Godi accepts that the report of public protector has not been referred to his committee," Parliament said.

- SAPA