De Haas came under the spotlight after her qualifications were questioned during the proceedings last week.
The MK party says it will open a case against human rights activist and violence monitor Mary de Haas and private forensic consultant Paul O’Sullivan for alleged serious breaches during the recent Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee proceedings.
De Haas came under scrutiny after her qualifications were questioned during proceedings last week.
She testified at the Parliamentary ad hoc committee inquiry into alleged corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system.
She was called in to testify following suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s testimony, in which he stated that her complaints were among the reasons he disbanded the political killings task team (PKTT).
Qualifications
In her evidence before the committee, De Haas testified to her experience as a social anthropologist and a violence monitor in KZN.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) later distanced itself from De Haas, saying she is neither an employee nor a professor at the institution.
However, EFF Deputy Secretary-General Leigh-Ann Mathys said De Haas did not hold a doctorate and that she received an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University.
When Mathys asked De Haas about her qualifications, she replied that she does not have a doctorate and is not a professor.
“People call me that. I’m not a professor; I did not get an official professorship because I haven’t finished the PhD that would have gotten me one.”
First case
MK party national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said they will be registering the case at the Cape Town Central Saps on Thursday.
“The first case relates to Ms Mary de Haas, who misrepresented her academic credentials before Parliament by claiming to possess an earned doctoral qualification, which she does not. Ms De Haas has since admitted that her highest completed qualification is a Master’s degree, and that the ‘doctorate’ she referred to is merely honorary.
“This deliberate misrepresentation, intended to bolster her authority during her presentation, constitutes a violation of section 17(2)(e) of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act. The MK Party will request Saps to register a criminal docket and secure all pertinent records, including transcripts, video footage, and academic documentation,” Ndhlela said.
Second case
Ndhlela also shared details of the second case that the MK party intends to open.
“The second case concerns Mr Paul O’Sullivan, whose WhatsApp message, read into the official parliamentary record, contained explicit threats aimed at intimidating a witness, Mr Cedric Nkabinde, during an official sitting of the Ad Hoc Committee.
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“Additionally, further intimidating correspondence was reportedly channelled through the evidence leader, Adv Arendse, to MK party members. This conduct appears to contravene provisions of the Constitution, the Powers and Privileges Act, and the Intimidation Act, and may amount to criminal intimidation and obstruction of parliamentary processes. The MK party will therefore open a separate case to safeguard the integrity of oversight proceedings and the protection of witnesses,” Ndhlela said.
‘Threatening message’
Nkabinde allegedly received a threatening message while testifying before the ad hoc committee on Wednesday, sparking concerns about the intimidation of witnesses and MPs.
The suspended police minister’s chief of staff told the committee that he had received a message from O’Sullivan while eating.
The message purportedly read: “Get ready, you lying crook. I am going to make sure you spend some years in prison. You were bribed by Mkhwanazi and Mabula. Now you will pay for your crimes, guaranteed.”
‘Influence’
During the proceedings, Nkabinde earlier alleged that O’Sullivan wielded unlawful influence over the police, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and the broader justice cluster, and that senior officials allowed him to do so.
Ndhlela added that Parliament must remain a “forum of truth, accountability and transparency, never a space where individuals are permitted to mislead, threaten or interfere with due process.”
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