Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi was elected unopposed as chair of parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa).
Zibi was nominated by the ANC and seconded by the DA.
EFF MP Veronica Mente objected to his election but the party did not field a candidate.
Mente said the party did not object to the individual but rather the departure from a long-held tradition that an opposition MP should chair Scopa.
She said with Rise Mzansi being part of the government of national unity (GNU), it did not consider Zibi an opposition MP.
Zibi was born in Mqanduli in the Eastern Cape.
He is a former Business Day editor and later became the head of corporate communications for banking giant Absa.
Zibi studied at the then Port Elizabeth Technikon and his first job was in communications and public relations for Volkswagen South Africa.
The party contested May’s general elections for the first time after Rise Mzansi was launched in April 2023.
Zibi said his new role carried significant responsibility, which he took seriously, recognising that mishandling public funds was a key issue that concerned South Africans.
“South Africans look to parliament to MPs to make sure they get the accountability they deserve because they work hard for those taxes.
“I intend to work closely with the staff of the committee, the professionals that support the committee and to work with all parties that have members on Scopa to make sure we are on the same page with the agenda of the work we are going to do, the pace at which we complete the work and the quality of the work and have respectful and robust interactions with the executive,” Zibi said.
Rise Mzansi National Assembly caucus whip Makashule Gana congratulated Zibi on his election, saying this was a critical committee in parliament that ensured that people’s money was accounted for and the executive held to account.
“The committee can best be described as a super oversight committee.
“Scopa must protect the public by being a vigilant watchdog that acts without fear, favour or prejudice.
“Rise Mzansi commits to ensuring public institutions have effective strategies to deliver on their mandates; have annual performance plans which reflect citizens’ service requirements; and that they use public money wisely, with zero tolerance for corruption..,” Gana said.
In an earlier interview on Wednesday, ActionSA national spokesperson Michael Beaumont said the party had availed itself for the position after a meeting with the ANC.
Beaumont said they had selected ActionSA parliamentary caucus leader Athol Trollip for the position as it was historically awarded to an opposition party.
Reacting to Zibi’s election, Trollip said while not surprised by Zibi’s election, he was concerned by the election of a chair that was a signatory party to the statement of intent.
“The multiparty government wishes to exercise oversight over itself by deploying one of its own to head up this critical oversight committee.
“Scopa is one of the committees most critical to the force and effect of oversight over the public purse and the performance of government.
“This position now being gifted to a member of the multiparty government which already commands a 70% majority in parliament serves to potentially neuter effective oversight over government expenditure and outcomes-related performance.
“This appointment is therefore nothing less than a reward for the leader of Rise Mzansi for their participation in the multiparty government,” Trollip said.
Trollip said a strong government needed a counterbalancing force in the opposition that used the considerable powers afforded to a Scopa chair to hold the government to account.
“Government officials, political office bearers and vendors to the state can be subpoenaed to appear before Scopa to account and this appointment is bound to compromise objective and critical oversight.”
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