The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday it was lobbying all political parties to back a motion for an ad hoc parliamentary committee to probe allegations of state capture.

DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said he had sent a draft resolution on appointing a committee that would have the powers to summon anybody implicated in collusion between the government and the Gupta family, to all other parties.

Steenhuisen recalled that the DA sent a request to Speaker Baleka Mbete at the end of May to allow a motion on instituting a probe as a matter of urgency.

“The motion will now be discussed in the chief whips forum with a view to having it scheduled at the next meeting of the National Assembly Programme Committee,” he said.

He said he believed there was sufficient political consensus that a proper investigation into allegations of state capture was now overdue.

“South Africans are punch-drunk by the seemingly endless revelations about state capture and the astonishing influence the Gupta family wields over President Jacob Zuma and members of his executive,” he said.

“I believe there is broad consensus that a thorough investigation into these allegations is long overdue and submit that Parliament is best placed to undertake it.”

Steenhuisen noted that an ad hoc committee would have the power to summon Zuma and the Gupta brothers to testify under oath and said it should not hesitate to do so.

Cabinet on Thursday expressed serious concern about the information in the so-called Gupta leaks emails and said the alleged wrongdoing by ministers, senior officials and leaders of state-owned enterprises should be investigated by law enforcement agencies.