Cape Town - The African National Congress has taken over the chair of parliament's watchdog public accounts committee (Scopa), although only on an interim basis.

ANC public accounts study group chairman Vincent Smith was voted in by his party's majority at a meeting on Tuesday to lead the committee until a permanent chairperson can be found.

This follows the resignation of the Inkatha Freedom Party's Gavin Woods last month, and it is the first time the crucial committee has not been led by an opposition party member.

Woods - who is set to remain as an ordinary member of Scopa - and the New National Party's Adriaan Blaas supported the Democratic Alliance's candidate, Nigel Bruce.

DA public accounts spokesperson Raenette Taljaard said the principle of an opposition member leading the committee should never be breached.

"The principle of an opposition chair should be sacrosanct, even with the appointment of a caretaker chairman," she said.

A new, permanent, chairperson will be appointed at the first meeting of the second parliamentary session, likely to be on April 23.

ANC MP Bruce Kannemeyer warned members against rushing into appointing a permanent chairperson, saying that "political processes are underway" to find a suitable candidate.

The ANC said last week it was committed to an opposition party member chairing Scopa.

NNP MP Pierre Uys's name has been linked to the position. The former Western Cape MEC attended a Scopa plenary meeting for the first time on Tuesday.

Hailed as hardworking committee

Woods announced his resignation from the chairmanship on February 25, citing political interference in the committee's work, and its polarisation along party lines, particularly regarding the arms deal.

He told Sapa on Tuesday that Smith's appointment was "quite unfortunate".

"It wasn't very appropriate given his central role in what has happened in Scopa over the past year and a half."

It was particularly disappointing that the ANC had rejected the notion that an opposition party member should chair the committee, Woods said.

Scopa, once hailed as one of the hardest-working and most-effective committees in parliament ground to a halt in 2001 because of political differences about the multibillion-rand arms deal.

Hope principle will be restored

United Democratic Movement public accounts spokesman Gerhard Koornhof said in a statement he was disappointed that the interim chairperson was not appointed from the ranks of the opposition.

"We hope that the principle of an opposition chair for Scopa will be restored on April 23 2002, when Scopa meets for the first time in the new term, in order to elect a permanent chair."

However, he was pleased the ANC seemed to be committed to an opposition member as the permanent chairperson, said Koornhof.

There may also be other changes in the pipeline for the committee, with Taljaard likely to be replaced by Mark Lowe as a DA representative.

It is understood that Taljaard - who bore the brunt of ANC hostility on the committee - wants to return to the public enterprises committee.