Themba Godi, the only African People's Convention MP and the chair of the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) has, some would argue, the toughest job in Parliament -- taking ministers and public officials to task when taxpayers’ money is misspent or stolen.

Godi and his team operate in a legislature that is still trying to establish itself as "activist", in spite of widely publicised clashes between committees and certain ministers and calls for committee chairpersons to treat their ministerial comrades with greater "respect".

The perception that the South African Parliament largely serves to rubber-stamp ruling party policy, rather than holding the executive to account, as required by the Constitution, remains widespread.

The Mail & Guardian met Godi in his parliamentary office, which reflects his reputation for being warm, organised and free of pomp.

As we enter, he is locked in discussion with a staff member, while the television burbles on about the Egyptian crisis in the background.

Godi turns off the TV, excuses his aide and gives the M&G his full attention -- thoroughness is something his fellow MPs and committee members commend him for.

Godi says it was his "sense of the public good" that made him enter politics.

Starting his political career in Bushbuckridge in rural Mpumalanga he became a member of the Pan Africanist Congress in 1984, just after matriculating.

Initially, he worked as a teacher while remaining active in the PAC. He entered Parliament in 2004.

"Lots of people in politics are mere accidents of history, circumstances pushed them in that direction. In large measure, it's responsible for situations in which, when they're given positions of responsibility, it's not about themselves," he says.

It is a parliamentary convention that the Scopa chair is awarded to a member of the opposition and the ANC voted Godi into the hot seat in 2005.

It was a surprise appointment, given the PAC's minuscule size and his relative inexperience in public finance management.

The PAC's own internal ructions resulted in him quitting the party in 2007 and crossing the floor to the newly formed African People’s Convention. He retained the Scopa post and the ANC reconfirmed him in it in 2009 after Jacob Zuma became president.

Godi inherited a committee mired in controversy: IFP chairperson Gavin Woods quit in protest in 2002 over a brutal ANC campaign -- seen as driven by former president Thabo Mbeki -- to scuttle its investigations of the arms deal.

Godi and fellow committee members have to rebuild Scopa's damaged reputation as an independent watchdog.

Godi's party affiliation is a drawback, says Mark Steele, the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on Scopa. Although he ran the committee well, chairing it fairly and impartially, "the downside is he’s politically extremely weak", Steele says.

The IFP's Narend Singh disagrees, saying that any political lack of muscle is not overt. Godi has been firm in keeping the focus on issues and giving all Scopa members an opportunity to speak.

Singh recalls that when senior officials appeared before Scopa early this year in place of the scheduled Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, he was given the opportunity to raise a point of order and the meeting ended abruptly.

Godi described the heavy media criticism that followed Sisulu's failure to appear before Scopa on three occasions early last year as a storm in a teacup. "The perceptions of a public spat don’t have their genesis in anything we [the committee] did or said," he says. He believes the lack of leadership in the department at the time was in large part responsible for "the mix-up".

The appointment of Mpumi Mpofu as defence secretary in April has gone a long way to create "greater understanding and synergy" between the department and the committee, Godi says.

He insists that being Scopa chairperson does not "validate him" and that his solitary seat in Parliament enables him to treat members of all parties fairly.

He also says that far from being pressured by the ANC, the ruling party appears keen to reassure him that he has a free hand.

"It would be very difficult for me to work in an environment where, conceptually, I have responsibility, but practically, it is stymied," he says.

Recent reports that the ANC had asked committee chairs to show restraint when questioning ministers and officials were perhaps a little overblown, he says. But restraint should not be emphasised over robust interrogation.

"This has a dampening effect and might subtly send a message [to] hold it, which might not be the intention."

The spectre of the arms deal still dogs Scopa. Last October the Hawks ended their investigation, leaving many questions unanswered.

At the time Godi promised to write to the Hawks to ask them to furnish reasons.

Although this was done, Scopa has not had a response. He says last week police commissioner Bheki Cele undertook to "touch base" with the unit.

"I don't think that since the disbanding of the Scorpions there has been any sense of enthusiasm to pursue these matters. Therefore, as Parliament, you are hamstrung, you can't go to the police and say you want to investigate this or we want you to investigate that.

"The ghost of the arms deal will forever follow us," he says ruefully. "The choice the executive had was to be upfront about it, so that the guilty can be brought to account.

"But if people obfuscate and become jittery and hysterical when you mention the arms deal, you merely perpetuate the idea that there's something to hide."

However, Godi says no meeting between Scopa and the Hawks is planned for this first quarter of the year.

In the meantime, he is working to balance his Scopa job with the run-up to the local elections.