National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza is expected to announce the composition of the Section 89 impeachment committee soon, following a Friday deadline for political parties to submit their nominated members. While multiple parties have complied, uncertainty surrounds whether the African National Congress (ANC) met the submission requirement, raising questions about potential procedural delays.
Speaker Didiza established the impeachment committee on May 13. Under National Assembly Rule 155, parties are required to forward their nominees to the Speaker, and sub-rule 3 mandates that these names be published without delay in the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC). This provision signals that an official announcement regarding committee membership could be forthcoming.
Parliamentary procedure, however, ensures that the committee’s work is not contingent on every party meeting nomination deadlines. Rule 160 governs the convening of the committee’s first meeting, requiring it to be called within five days after members are announced. Importantly, Rule 160, sub-rule 2, clarifies that if one or more parties have not appointed members within the stipulated timeframe, the committee secretary must still convene a meeting within five working days once a sufficient number of members have been appointed.
Quorum requirements under Rule 162 further support the committee’s ability to proceed. With Al Jama-ah having publicly stated it will not participate in the process—citing a lack of confidence in the proceedings—the panel is anticipated to consist of 30 members rather than the originally projected 31. The rules specify that only one-third of the committee (10 of 30 members) must be present to conduct business. Consequently, even if the ANC were absent from the process, the committee could legally convene and its proceedings would remain valid.
For substantive decisions, including the adoption of a final report, Rule 162, sub-rule 2, requires a majority of members—16 of the 30—to be present. These procedural frameworks are intentionally designed to prevent obstructionist tactics and ensure the impeachment committee can fulfill its constitutional mandate without undue interruption.
As stakeholders await Speaker Didiza’s formal announcement, the established parliamentary rules provide a clear and resilient pathway for the Section 89 committee to advance its work, irrespective of individual parties’ nomination timelines.