Parliament’s Legal Advisor, Andile Tetyana says National Assembly Speaker, Thoko Didiza, is not yet in a position to make a ruling. This after seeking concurrence from her office.  O’Sullivan wants to testify virtually citing security concerns. Tetyana says the Speaker is concerned that the committee has not adequately engaged with O’Sullivan’s reasons for his non-appearance.

“What the Speaker is saying is that, having considered the reasons advanced by O’Sullivan, and without a substantive rebuttal from the committee, she is legally incapacitated to make a determination. The Speaker can only do so once the committee has fully engaged with the reasons provided by O’Sullivan. The concern is that if this matter goes to court, it could be set aside on that basis. In short, the committee must demonstrate that it has properly considered and engaged with his reasons before the subpoena can stand,” he said.

–SABC–