National Assembly Cape Town: 20 September 2007  
 

Madam Speaker, I should like to draw to your attention and that of the House to a probable breach of parliamentary privilege committed in the Portfolio Committee on Communications by a candidate for appointment to the SABC Board and, accordingly, I give notice of the following motion for urgent consideration by the House: 

That the House -

(1) noting that -  

(a) Ms Gloria Serobe was one of the 12 candidates recommended by the House on Thursday, 13 September 2007 for appointment by the President to the SABC Board; 

(b) when interviewed by the Portfolio Committee on Communications and asked whether she knew the person who had nominated her for appointment, a Mr Louis du Plooy who gave his address as P O Box 2012, Groenkloof 0027, she replied that she did not know him but it was "nice" of him to have done so;  

(c) according to  a report in the Sunday Times of 16 September 2007 Mr du Plooy "... revealed yesterday that he had discussed Serobe's nomination with her (emphasis added) 'as I had to get a CV from her to submit with the nomination form'"; and  

(d) Mr du Plooy is the Chief Director for Ministerial Services in the Ministry in the Presidency but did not reveal this important information in nominating Ms Serobe,  

(2) resolves -  

(a) to appoint  a committee to conduct a preliminary investigation into whether Ms Serobe, in informing the Portfolio Committee that she did not know Mr du Plooy, willfully furnished the Portfolio Committee with false or misleading information, and thereby committed the offence  of breach of parliamentary privilege in terms of section 17(2)(e)  of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act 4 of 2004 (possibly in an attempt to conceal from the Portfolio Committee Mr du Plooy's direct link with the Minister in the Presidency, Dr Essop Pahad), the investigation to be conducted with a view to establishing whether the matter warrants formal referral to the National Director of Public Prosecutions for prosecution under the Act;

(b) that the committee may exercise those powers in Rule 138 that may assist it in carrying out its task; 

(c) the committee to report to the House within 15 working days; and 

(d) the President to be informed immediately of the decision of the House to investigate whether Ms Serobe may have committed a breach of parliamentary privilege. 

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