Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s decision not to appear before parliament despite being issued summons may land her in serious trouble.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism plans to ask National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to discipline Sisulu for failure to appear before the committee to account for her ministerial portfolio.
Sisulu was summoned by the tourism portfolio committee to attend this week’s meeting to respond to a number of outstanding issues which fall under her purview.
For the last four weeks the portfolio committee has been requesting that the Minister attend the meetings. In each instance, Minister Sisulu submitted no apology or explanation as to why she did not attend the meetings.
Tourism committee member Manny de Freitas, a DA M, said Sisulu had been sent numerous requests to appear before the committee, but she failed to appear and did not even send an apology.
The committee then sent her a summons to appear this week, but instead of appearing, she sent a legal representative.
Sisulu confirmed on Wednesday that the committee had ordered her to appear before it, but she did not attend.
The situation is unprecedented as the failure by Sisulu to attend the committee meeting constitutes a criminal act.
According to Section 55 of the Constitution, the executive organs of state are accountable to parliament, and portfolio committees, as an extension of parliament, in order to exercise oversight. When the department is unable to account on certain issues, the Minister will be required to provide an adequate explanation to the committee.
As a result of the Minster’s failure to appear before the committee, and in an attempt to first address every avenue at its disposal, the committee resolved to write to the Speaker of Parliament on this matter.
The letter will request the Speaker to hold the Minister accountable for her failure to respond to the summons and account in the meeting, as this also constitutes a criminal act which could lead to a fine and even imprisonment for up to 12 months.
Source: Polity, Sowetan Live, News24, image from Twitter: @Constitution_94