The ad hoc committee in parliament investigating allegations of corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system degenerated into chaos on Wednesday when witness Robert McBride threatened a committee member.
Sibonelo Nomvalo of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party was questioning the former head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate about a run-in with the law.
McBride lost his cool and told him off. He went on to caution Nomvalo to “watch it”, which infuriated the rest of the committee members.
At one point in his interrogation of McBride, Nomvalo asked him about his past involvement with criminal activity.
McBride confirmed that he was once nabbed for drunk driving, a case for which he was ultimately acquitted at the high court.
Line of questioning agitates McBride
Upon further questioning, he asserted that another criminal case had an impact on his daughter. Nomvalo then followed up, and McBride became agitated.
“You are starting to get very personal now; you are asking about my child, and you should not be.
“You should mind your own business [and start respecting] my family. It is my family; I am saying watch it also,” said an irate McBride, his voice vibrating with anger.
Soviet Lekganyane, the chairperson of the committee, was compelled to step in and request that McBride attempt to answer questions in a courteous manner.
However, the members were not amused and slammed McBride hard for his “arrogant” stance.
EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys fired the first salvo: “Mister McBride, you are undermining us, and chair, you are not protecting us.
“This is becoming like a podcast. Just respect us, Mister McBride. Chair, deal with it and deal with it properly; you are being too kind.”
Dareleen James of ActionSA was not going to miss the party; she increased the temperature levels.
“Mister McBride needs to pull himself towards himself. How do we continue questioning him when he is being that hostile? It is completely unacceptable and must stop.”
Ten minutes of intense debate
As expected, MKP’s David Sikhosana delivered a stellar performance.
“When honourable Nqola was questioning the witness, chairperson, you tried to intervene, and Mister McBride asked if you wanted him to leave. That tells us the witness is not prepared to take questions; it is like he is doing us a favour,” Sikhosana said.
“To say he is condescending is an understatement. Mister McBride, our historical political credentials mean nothing here.
“We are very concerned about your attitude; you are undermining this committee and the people of South Africa at large. You cannot do that unless you are a law unto yourself.”
After 10 minutes of intense debate, Lekganyane made the final decision and allowed the proceedings to resume.
What I will say to our witness is that we respect you so much, appreciate your contribution to the liberation struggle, and trust your loyalty to the republic.
“You are a citizen of advanced age; please help us learn from you. We may not have the best way to say some of the things to you, but as a citizen of advanced age, you can always be better than us.”
