The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) on Wednesday said it will formally write to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza requesting the immediate suspension of Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on State Security Dianne Kohler Barnard from the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, pending investigation into the grave allegations against her.

The party asked Kohler Barnard to immediately recuse herself from the ad-hoc committee investigating allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi into the criminal justice system, saying her continued participation is “untenable, unethical and an insult” to the principles of parliamentary integrity and impartiality.

Kohler Barnard was explicitly implicated under oath by Mkhwanazi in his sworn statement, to the Madlanga Commission, accusing her of leaking sensitive information.

On Tuesday, the committee got off to a rocky start, the proceedings broke down over a dispute regarding whether Mkhwanazi’s submitted statement was an original document or a copy of his earlier testimony to the Madlanga Commission.

The committee was forced to adjourn following heated arguments between Members of Parliament.

MKP national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said it defied logic and fairness that a person named in serious allegations before the very committee she sits on could presume to act as both referee and player.

“…such conduct undermines public confidence in Parliament's oversight processes and risks reducing this important inquiry into a political farce,” he said.

The party demands that Kohler Barnard step aside and submit herself to the appropriate processes as a witness, not as a judge over her own case.

“Her party, the Democratic Alliance, with its 87 Members of Parliament, cannot reasonably claim that her recusal would impede its representation. The DA must choose between defending the integrity of Parliament or protecting one compromised member,” pointed out Ndhlela.

He said failure by Kohler Barnard to recuse herself will expose the ad-hoc committee to legitimate legal challenge and public condemnation.

He noted that the committee could not afford to be discredited or derailed by perceptions of bias and conflict of interest.

Ndhlela said Parliament must not be a sanctuary for the implicated, but a platform for truth and transparency.