Cape Town - The new chair of parliament's watchdog public accounts committee (Scopa) wants to restore the trust among its members, after a rocky year in which they were split along party lines, paralysing the committee's oversight work.

Francois Beukman (36) of the New National Party was elected to the post of Scopa chair on Wednesday, after he was nominated by the African National Congress majority on the committee.

This is in line with last year's co-operation deal between the ANC and the NNP, after the NNP withdrew from the Democratic Alliance.

Beukman said he planned to meet individual Scopa members to discuss, among other things, how best to restore trust and develop a good team spirit.

He would also try to develop a good relationship with the auditor-general's office.

Beukman said he hoped the committee would revert to decision-making by consensus, as was once the tradition, but which had ended after acrimony among members about the arms deal investigations.

Beukman side-stepped questions about how he would deal with a cosy relationship between the auditor-general and the executive, allegations which had marred the auditor-general's investigation into the arms deal.

In his reaction, NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk said Scopa was an important committee and the main instrument for parliament to exercise oversight on the executive and to fight government corruption.

Beukman had been given the task of restoring its credibility, because the committee had degenerated into a forum for party-political squabbling in the past year.

Beukman told to act fearlessly

"We have to turn that around. Scopa must become the taxpayers' watchdog. Scopa is not a forum for any political party or group of political parties. It is the taxpayers' committee."

Beukman had also been instructed to act fearlessly and independently, said Van Schalkwyk.

Regarding other positions that might be given to the NNP in terms of the deal with the ANC, he said: "We'll take it step by step. Today, it's the Scopa chairperson, and the other announcements will be made jointly by our two parties."

Beukman served for one year on the committee, when the NNP was still part of the DA, but left after the break-up. He was re-appointed to Scopa on Tuesday, allowing his election as chairperson on Wednesday.

The DA objected on Wednesday morning to his nomination as chairman, saying he was not a committee member. However, it was told Beukman had been re-appointed by the NNP to the committee on Tuesday and had replaced colleague Adriaan Blaas.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and www.news24.co.za