Cape Town - Ahead of their appearance before the parliamentary standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), three Cabinet ministers met with the ANC members of the committee. 

This information came to light on a day of intense drama when the politically-neutral watchdog committee was required to take a vote for the first time in its seven-year existence.  

The DA walked out of the Scopa meeting when it became clear that consensus decision-making had been jettisoned in favour of an ANC majority view. The ANC on Thursday strongly denied that the Cabinet ministers' meeting with ANC Scopa members was held in order for the ministers to exert pressure on Scopa, and influence its probe into alleged irregularities surrounding the R43.8 billion arms procurement deal.  

ANC Alone in Saying Scopa Did Not Want Heath  

The ANC on Thursday was the only party to vote for a resolution denying that Scopa's 14th report recommended the participation of Judge Willem Heath's special investigation unit into the irregularities.  

ANC chief whip Geoff Doidge confirmed that the three ministers - Trevor Manuel, Alec Erwin and Mosiuoa Lekota - had met with the ANC Scopa members.  

"The meeting was not intended to exert improper influence. ANC study groups regularly meet with ministers. The meeting was an attempt at clarifying issues. We got the answers."  A Scopa member told Beeld that the ministers had "frightened the wits" out of the ANC members. New ANC Scopa members, all party loyalists, then tried to rattle committee chairperson Gavin Woods and other members during the Scopa meeting. Doidge distanced the ANC from Woods's position regarding the 14th report recommending the probe.  

Attacks And Counter-Attacks  

Woods (IFP) at one stage reprimanded ANC Scopa whip Neo Masithela for constantly criticising his [Woods's] handling of the meeting.  

Thabang Makwetla ANC caucus chairperson also attacked Woods, saying that Scopa members had not convened the meeting to defend the 14th report to the ministers. The reason for the ministers' presence at the meeting was to explain their sharp attack on Scopa, in which they had questioned both Scopa's and the auditor-general's competency. 

All the DA MPs walked out of the meeting, following a refusal by the ANC to record in Scopa's next report the DA's minority view, which was in conflict with the ANC's viewpoint. The IFP and UDM abstained from voting, resulting in the majority's being the sole viewpoint to be recorded in the report, ultimately to be approved by the national assembly. The ANC initially proposed that the minority standpoint should be reflected in the report. However, they then decided against this. The DA did not lodge an objection until Raenette Taljaard, DA public accounts spokesperson, returned to the meeting after verifying that minority standpoints could be recorded.  

Taljaard added that the voting had not removed constitutional problems resulting from executive authority interference in Scopa affairs. 

With acknowledgement to Christi van der Westhuizen and News24.