DA leader John Steenhuisen has rebuffed the apparent conflict of interest in retaining party MP Dianne Kohler Barnard in the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating
KwaZulu-Natal Police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s police corruption allegations, saying only incontrovertible evidence of unlawful conduct will trigger her removal.
The parliamentary committee in question is currently investigating serious allegations raised by Mkhwanazi, who claims interference and misconduct within the criminal justice system and possibly higher up.
The embattled DA MP now finds herself at the heart of a national controversy after Mkhwanazi, appearing this week before the judicial commission of inquiry led by retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, accused her of political interference in the work of the police.
“We won’t recuse her until evidence is actually led that she has done something unlawful or illegal or something that is outside her oversight role as an MP and elected public office bearer,” Steenhuisen told Sunday World.
Committee chair, ANC MP Soviet Lekganyane, believes the onus is on the DA to decide whether to keep her as part of the investigation or find a
replacement.
Barnard reaffirmed her commitment to upholding justice and transparency: “I will continue to act in the public interest and demand accountability from those in power,” she said.
“These baseless allegations will not deter me from doing my job and ensuring that the truth is brought to light.”
Barnard is an alternate member of the ad hoc committee, which is set to launch its own probe into the serious corruption Mkhwanazi has accused members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), politicians, businesspeople and most recently, journalists of committing.
This raises concerns because Mkhwanazi accused her of carelessly using classified intelligence shared with members of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI), of which she is a member.
On the second day of the Madlanga Commission hearings, Mkhwanazi referenced a DA statement released on February 17, in which Kohler Barnard formally requested that the inspector general of intelligence conduct a thorough probe into two properties purchased by Crime Intelligence.
“What we see here is a person who has a legal obligation to keep her mouth shut and divulge this information to the joint standing committee. Instead, she went public. The risk of this is that it forces members of intelligence to defend themselves, divulging secrets of the state,” a visibly irked Mkhwanazi said.
However, Kohler-Barnard told Sunday World that these claims are false, adding that she was only sworn in as a member of the JSCI months after she issued the statement. “I am happy to write to them and say this is wrong – that these are the dates I reported, and these are the dates on which the standing committee was sworn in, months later.”
She also pointed out that once sworn into the committee, members are bound by strict confidentiality regarding deliberations and findings. As a result, Kohler Barnard could not publicly comment on the progress of the investigation, as it was presented to the committee for review.
“The accusations that I somehow leaked sensitive information are not only unfounded, but they also misrepresent the legal obligations and confidentiality required of JSCI members,”
she explained.
This is not the first time Kohler Barnard has been targeted by the KZN police commissioner. Their history shows that Mkhwanazi has never been friendly toward her.
“I find it most peculiar. When I was the DA shadow minister of police in KwaZulu-Natal, he stopped every police station from talking to me when I had to do oversight visits.
“I had to call the national police commissioner every time and have them instruct officers to speak to me. So, I don’t know what his motives were or why he chose to react this way toward me it’s a very bizarre situation all around and 100% fallacious.”
