By REGINALD KANYANE
5 August 2025 – The Co-Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Dr Malusi Gigaba, has expressed concern at unfounded, disingenuous, and illogical comments attributed to Nicholas Gotsell, a member of the committee, alleging that the he is shielding the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga from accounting for “R813 million allocated to the payment of SANDF deployment allowances”. Gigaba said while Gotsell is free to escalate any matter to the National Assembly hierarchy, he is not entitled to make baseless, illogical and false claims.
He further said openness and accountability are the bedrock of the committee’s work. Gigaba added that he does not make unilateral decisions, but acts in consultation and by consensus with all committee members.
“The committee is committed to accountability. This was demonstrated by the urgent joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans following the deaths of 14 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The committee then convened a closed meeting to receive a detailed briefing on the incident and the state of the deployment. This was followed by an engagement with the leadership of the SANDF to receive a further briefing on the phased withdrawal plan from the DRC, as resolved by the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community,” he said.
Gigaba said following these meetings, the committee – of which Gotsell is a fully participating member – agreed that, upon completion of the withdrawal, a comprehensive report on the deployment would be tabled in Parliament, outlining the mandate, related costs, strategic support provided, and Prime Mission equipment utilised.
“It is thus perplexing that Gotsell would, without warning, undermine a decision in which he actively participated. Accountability rooted in political posturing rather than principle undermines the true purpose of that process.
“Due to this year’s unprecedented budget process, the committee had to defer its meetings to allow space for the process to be finalised in accordance with legal requirements,” said Gigaba.
He said Gotsell, as a member of the committee, should be fully aware of the complexities involved in arranging meetings of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, particularly given the overlapping schedules of both Houses of Parliament. Gigaba also noted that the minister has attended many committee meetings.
“In instances where she was unavailable, she submitted written apologies, which were accepted by the same committee of which Gotsell is a participating member. Furthermore, deputy ministers and the department’s accounting officer have consistently represented the ministry in such meetings.
“The committee is committed to a considered and thorough review of the DRC deployment, based on comprehensive information to be provided by the department,” he said.
Gigaba said this commitment remains unchanged and the review will be scheduled once the report is available. He said it is on this basis that making unfounded and disingenuous claims is both counterproductive and irrational.
The Guardian 