Tensions rise in Parliament after Gigaba asked to recuse himself

Chairperson of Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence Malusi Gigaba has hit back at Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP) Carl Niehaus for demanding that he recuse himself.

Niehaus has cited the African National Congress’s (ANC) step aside rule against Gigaba and his pending court case as the reason for wanting him to recuse himself from the chairmanship of the committee.

Gigaba says the Gupta brothers had mentioned Niehaus as someone they had worked with.

“You are deliberately consciously misleading this meeting. To start with I am not chairing the meeting and I have not been these meetings for a period now since the issues of IDAC were raised. I have not chaired these meetings. In the second instance the issue you are raising has nothing to do with me. Absolutely nothing to do with me. In the third instance, you yourself you had relations with them. In the fourth instance, you know the rules of the house. If the EFF had any defence whatsoever you would have raised these issues with the presiding officers so that they are addressed there.”