ActionSA Welcomes Adoption of Terms of Reference but Rejects Speaker’s Overreach in Restricting Access to Classified Information
Press Statement by Dereleen James MP
ActionSA Member of Parliament
ActionSA welcomes the adoption of the Terms of Reference by the Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. However, we are deeply concerned and will urgently challenge the Speaker and Parliament’s unilateral decision to restrict access to classified information relating to this investigation for certain members of the committee.
ActionSA takes strong exception to Parliament’s and the Speaker’s actions in developing and effecting a protocol that would exclude ActionSA’s active participation by denying alternative members access to any classified material that may emerge during the committee’s investigation. This clause in the protocol is not only legally baseless, referencing no legislative provision requiring such restrictions, but is wholly obstructive to the democratic integrity and intended work of the committee.
It is particularly concerning that the ‘Protocol on Handling and Viewing of Classified Information by the National Assembly’ was only signed on 20 August 2025, two days ago. Clearly, this is neither an established precedent nor a longstanding framework, but rather a newly manufactured instrument designed by Parliament and developed without any consultation with the committee for which it was ostensibly intended.
Alternate members exist precisely to ensure continuity when full members are unavailable or must leave a meeting early at moments when decisions are still to be made. To unilaterally restrict ActionSA from accessing relevant information undermines our ability to participate meaningfully, leaving us in the rather absurd position of having to inevitably vote on matters without being fully apprised of the information necessary to do so.
This is not merely a procedural irregularity. It is a deliberate attempt to obstruct our work in the committee and to disenfranchise a serving member from exercising their role. The Speaker’s action, if left unchallenged, could have far-reaching consequences for all parliamentary committees and the alternate members who serve on them, creating a system where different classes of members are treated unequally.
ActionSA will not tolerate such overreach and will be formally raising the matter with the Speaker to ensure that this completely baseless provision is removed before the committee proceeds with its work. We intend to participate meaningfully on behalf of South Africans who seek the truth and demand accountability, and we will not allow anyone to deny us this fundamental right.
ActionSA Welcomes Adoption of Terms of Reference but Rejects Speaker’s Overreach in Restricting Access to Classified Information
ActionSA welcomes the adoption of the Terms of Reference by the Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. However, we are deeply concerned and will urgently challenge the Speaker and Parliament’s unilateral decision to restrict access to classified information relating to this investigation for certain members of the committee.
ActionSA takes strong exception to Parliament’s and the Speaker’s actions in developing and effecting a protocol that would exclude ActionSA’s active participation by denying alternative members access to any classified material that may emerge during the committee’s investigation. This clause in the protocol is not only legally baseless, referencing no legislative provision requiring such restrictions, but is wholly obstructive to the democratic integrity and intended work of the committee.
It is particularly concerning that the ‘Protocol on Handling and Viewing of Classified Information by the National Assembly’ was only signed on 20 August 2025, two days ago. Clearly, this is neither an established precedent nor a longstanding framework, but rather a newly manufactured instrument designed by Parliament and developed without any consultation with the committee for which it was ostensibly intended.
Alternate members exist precisely to ensure continuity when full members are unavailable or must leave a meeting early at moments when decisions are still to be made. To unilaterally restrict ActionSA from accessing relevant information undermines our ability to participate meaningfully, leaving us in the rather absurd position of having to inevitably vote on matters without being fully apprised of the information necessary to do so.
This is not merely a procedural irregularity. It is a deliberate attempt to obstruct our work in the committee and to disenfranchise a serving member from exercising their role. The Speaker’s action, if left unchallenged, could have far-reaching consequences for all parliamentary committees and the alternate members who serve on them, creating a system where different classes of members are treated unequally.
ActionSA will not tolerate such overreach and will be formally raising the matter with the Speaker to ensure that this completely baseless provision is removed before the committee proceeds with its work. We intend to participate meaningfully on behalf of South Africans who seek the truth and demand accountability, and we will not allow anyone to deny us this fundamental right.