Mps Call For Paul O’Sullivan Arrest After Dramatic Parliamentary Committee Walkout

Angry Members of Parliament have called for the arrest of forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan after he left a parliamentary committee hearing mid-session on Wednesday, citing the need to catch a flight.

O’Sullivan had been appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing allegations made by South African Police Service KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. His testimony was ongoing when tensions flared in the committee room.

His appearance had previously been postponed due to illness. On Wednesday, Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize was nearing the end of her questioning when a dispute arose over O’Sullivan’s repeated attempts to ask questions and his insistence that he needed to depart by 1pm to avoid paying to reschedule his flight.

Heated Exchange As Paul O’Sullivan Leaves Parliamentary Inquiry

As Mkhize concluded her questioning, O’Sullivan stood up, collected his belongings and headed for the exit.

EFF leader Julius Malema instructed him to sit down, reminding him that he had not been formally excused from the proceedings. MK Party MP David Skosana indicated that a case would be opened against O’Sullivan for leaving the hearing prematurely.

“You are walking out,” Malema and Skosana said, to which O’Sullivan replied, “I am finished.”

Malema maintained that only the committee chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, had the authority to excuse a witness. O’Sullivan continued past MPs and exited the venue. He later said he could not continue because he needed to catch his flight.

Lekganyane thanked members for keeping their composure during the incident, acknowledging that emotions could easily have run high. He confirmed that the committee would consult Parliamentary Legal Services on the way forward.

Proceedings were briefly adjourned, with the committee expected to resume and hear testimony from former national police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane.

EFF Demands Immediate Action From National Assembly Speaker

Speaking after the incident, EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys described O’Sullivan’s departure as contempt of Parliament.

“It wasn’t a walkout. We must call it what it is. It’s contempt of Parliament, and that is an offence,” she told SABC News. Mathys said they wanted National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to act without delay.

“We do hope that the Speaker acts on this, not like how she ignored when he was insulting or sending threatening messages to witnesses. He’s at the airport now.

“So by now she should have sent her lawyers to court to file papers. When he lands in Joburg, if that’s where he’s landing, he must get arrested. We cannot be treated (like this).”

Mathys said the issue extended beyond individual MPs.

“It’s not even about us as individual members of Parliament. We are one of the three arms of government. The same man has come here and declared how he loves South Africa and has given his life to fighting criminality, and then he just walked out from an institution that is one of the three arms of the state.

“It must be acted on, and it must be acted on immediately. We cannot be waiting 10 weeks or 10 years for Parliament to act. When he lands in Joburg, he must be arrested.”

Committee Chair Responds To Tensions And Legal Next Steps

Addressing the media after the confrontation, Lekganyane said he had not observed any attempts by members to prevent O’Sullivan from leaving.

“We had very good engagements with Mr Paul O’Sullivan over the last two days, including today. When we agreed that he should come back, indeed he came back. We had a very good start. There were rough moments, as in any engagement,” he said.

Lekganyane confirmed there had been friction during proceedings. O’Sullivan had acknowledged making remarks about Members of Parliament and political parties, including claims that some parties were formed through syndicate activities. According to the chairperson, those comments had not been well received, and O’Sullivan had agreed to retract them.

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“Sparks were flying at some moments, and we have to accept that this was the kind of engagement we had. But generally, proceedings were good until that point,” he said.

“When we started, we announced that at some point he would leave, but not in the manner that he did.

“Members were saying that, pressed for time or not, he should leave in a manner that concludes proceedings properly – to say we have reached the point where he must leave.

“Not to say, ‘This is the last word I’m saying,’ and once he finishes, he stands up and leaves.”