Checks, balances is the way to go to maintain accountability

In her column published in the Daily Maverick, ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte – whose views received
a nod from a leading political analyst – went to lengths explaining the workings of the party and the expectations of its cadres deployed to parliament.

Following a week at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in which witnesses painted a picture of ANC MPs who failed to exercise their oversight mandate over the executive, Duarte came out guns blazing to explain democratic centralism, consultation and decision-making within the party.

“SA had to hear how those who participated in the commission last week, displayed a lack of appreciation for the elected leadership within a political organisation, vis-a-vis an elected representative in democratic institutions such as parliament,” Duarte wrote.

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“Senior parliamentarians, once endowed by our people with the noble task of representing them, seemingly did not comprehend the nature of a caucus or strategic committees.

“That the ANC would ask its caucus to hold onto a position of the party was made to appear wrong and yet the origin of the argument, on a vote of no confidence, came from the caucus of the opposition.

“So, the opposition can speak with one voice, but the ANC, it appears, has to allow many voices with many views instead of answering to the collective decision taken by the opposition parties, with many voices and one message.”

Party discipline, wrote Duarte, played a key role in ensuring that the mandate given by the people to the party was “not compromised and that the social contract remains intact”.

“One would gladly welcome an example where a caucus, at any level, decided against exposing corruption or agreeing to be corrupt. But none of these examples exist because no party has a party line that would want to indulge deliberately in corruption,” wrote Duarte.

This has made me to look forward to the day she takes her turn to testify before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

Surely, no parliamentary party caucus in the world would encourage its MPs and the executive to turn a blind eye on the flagrant misuse of taxpayers’ money, graft and malfeasance.

The latest in a series of revelations involving state-owned enterprises has been the scandal involving Eskom, which squandered more than R300 million on building flats for construction workers at its Kusile power station.

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Meant to accommodate workers, the Wilge Residential Development project has delivered empty flats.

More than a year later, parliament’s standing committee on public accounts this week heard how Eskom could not provide answers for the development having gone from R160 million to R840 million.

Parliament makes laws and holds the government to account – making oversight an important feature in a democracy like SA.

Its significance in safeguarding the constitutional obligation of the separation of powers cannot be over-emphasised.

Underlining this role, Dr Anthony Malapane says: “This separation of powers is aimed at maintaining transparency and accountability – upholding the systematic checks and balances between parliament and the executive.”

Checks and balances is the way to go.

Brian Sokutu.

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