Didiza Blocks Subpoenas As Ad Hoc Committee Demands Brown Mogotsi And O’Sullivan Show Up

Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating serious allegations within law enforcement is refusing to back down, despite National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza declining to authorise subpoenas for alleged political fixer Oupa Brown Mogotsi and private investigator Paul O’Sullivan.

The committee held a lengthy virtual “housekeeping” meeting on Monday, stretching beyond five hours, as members race to finalise their work before the 20 February deadline.

MPs Call for More High-Profile Witnesses

Concerns were raised by several MPs that key individuals repeatedly mentioned during testimony have not yet appeared before the inquiry.

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party MP David Skosana said crime intelligence official Feroz Khan should be summoned, pointing out that his name has surfaced in multiple submissions. Khan currently leads the Counter-Intelligence and Security Intelligence division.

EFF leader Julius Malema added that suspended deputy national police commissioner Francinah Vuma should also testify. MK party MP Vusi Shongwe went further, stating that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and President Cyril Ramaphosa had also been implicated.

“There’s this list of names that keeps on disappearing, and I don’t know how,” Shongwe said.

Committee secretary Vhonani Ramaano told MPs that public submissions would wrap up on 3 February. Four witnesses remain, including two anonymous contributors.

Former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane is set to continue his testimony on 4 and 5 February, while DA MP Diane Kohler-Barnard and National Coloured Congress leader Faidel Adams are expected on 11 February.

Didiza Rejects Subpoena Requests Over Safety Concerns

Ramaano confirmed that Mogotsi, O’Sullivan and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi remain without confirmed appearance dates.

Parliamentary legal adviser Andile Tetyana briefed the committee on Didiza’s refusal to approve subpoenas for Mogotsi and O’Sullivan. In her response, the speaker referenced Mogotsi’s security fears following an alleged attempt on his life in November.

“His personal safety concerns should not be taken lightly,” Didiza said in her letter, adding that the committee should first engage Mogotsi on the nature and cost of any security measures.

Didiza said she was “disinclined” to approve a summons, noting that Mogotsi had turned down protection from Parliamentary Protection Services (PPS).

On O’Sullivan, Tetyana reminded MPs that the investigator is currently in the United Kingdom and has indicated he would only return at the end of February. O’Sullivan has also raised safety concerns, including relocating seven of his children abroad.

Tetyana cautioned that subpoenas cannot be issued without clear legal justification and warned that forcing O’Sullivan to appear could expose parliament to legal challenges.

“The speaker feels a bit incapacitated in terms of the law to make that determination,” Tetyana said.

MPs Accuse Witnesses of Undermining Parliament

ANC MP Khusela Sangoni-Diko criticised the speaker’s stance as “disappointing,” insisting that both men should appear in person.

“There’s nothing unique about what Paul O’Sullivan and Mr Brown Mogotsi are raising,” she said, arguing that PPS could adequately address their security concerns.

NC MP Xola Nqola accused the pair of deliberately obstructing the inquiry, while MK party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo urged the committee to take a firmer line.

“We must not nurse feelings for people who want to receive standing ovations when they come to parliament, people who behave like spoilt brats,” Nomvalo said.

He warned that virtual testimony from O’Sullivan would weaken the process, claiming the investigator had already suggested he would avoid questions from certain parties.

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“We are worried about this dilly-dallying… because we are operating within a very short, limited time,” Nomvalo added, dismissing Mogotsi’s security demands as “ridiculous.”

Malema Warns of Dangerous Precedent

DA MP Ian Cameron said it appeared Mogotsi and O’Sullivan were evading parliament, while acknowledging their stated safety concerns.

Malema warned that the speaker’s handling of the matter risked eroding parliament’s authority.

“I think that the speaker has deliberately just decided not to play her role, and her role is to protect the image and integrity of parliament,” he said.

“You have people who have completely shown that they have got no regard for parliament… It’s like you are preparing a trip to Epstein Island,” Malema added.

“If you do that for Mogotsi, you are going to do that for everyone.”

Malema later said President Ramaphosa should personally appear before the committee. However, chairperson Soviet Lekganyane indicated that written questions would instead be submitted to the president for a response.