'From the first question, you’ve been hostile': MPs blast Robert McBride

MPs have accused former IPID head Robert McBride of undermining their authority during a parliamentary session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Thursday.

The committee, tasked with investigating allegations stemming from a controversial press conference by General Mkhwanazi in July, quickly descended into a war of words as McBride clashed with several parliamentarians over his conduct.

McBride lost his temper when MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo questioned him about a family court case.

“That member of your family was your child, correct?” McBride responded, saying, “Well, you’re starting to get very personal now,” before adding, “No, you’re asking about my child. You shouldn’t be. You should mind your own business about my family.”

Despite Nomvalo’s insistence on asking, McBride remained agitated, rejecting the question outright.

“No, you’re asking about my child, you shouldn’t be. Watch it,mind your own business about my family,” he said.

EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys was quick to accuse McBride of undermining the committee's work. “We’ve been undermined since Mr McBride arrived here this morning,” Mathys said.

“From the very first questioning, you’ve been hostile and condescending. We are here to do an investigation, Mr McBride, not to be insulted.”

Mathys raised concerns over a remark McBride made earlier in the session, when he reportedly told MPs, “You must watch it.”

She called it an unacceptable threat. “Mr McBride, you can’t come here and threaten any member of parliament. I heard you say, ‘You must watch it.’ What is that? We are not out here in the field,” Mathys added.

''You are undermining us. And we've been sitting here and we've just been quiet,'' she said. 

Mathys directly addressed Chairperson Soviet Lekganyane’s handling of the situation. “And Chair, you're not protecting us. Then we may as well just pack up and go, because this is becoming like a podcast. It’s no longer an investigation into anything,” she said.

She further criticised McBride for turning the proceedings into a one-sided affair, accusing him of insulting the committee and dismissing their inquiries.

“Mr McBride comes here, he insults us as if we're not conducting an investigation, and only what he says we must take. Everyone else is just a liar. We are here and we're conducting an investigation.

''Just respect us on that, please, Mr McBride. It's wrong what you're doing. And Chair, please deal with it and deal with it properly. You've been too kind, too much,” Mathys said. 

ActionSA MP Dereleen James, also took issue with McBride’s attitude throughout the session.

“Mr McBride needs to pull himself together. He’s been doing this since yesterday, telling us he owes us an apology before we can move on. And now, he’s threatening us,” James said.

“We cannot continue questioning him if he’s going to be so hostile.”

David Sikhosana from the MK Party also expressed his dissatisfaction with McBride’s conduct, highlighting the witness’s dismissive attitude toward the committee.

“Earlier, when Honorable Xola was questioning the witness, you tried to intervene at that time,” he said to committee chairperson Lekganyane.

“Mr McBride said, ‘You want me to leave.’ That tells you the witness before us is not prepared to take questions,” Sikhosana added.

He further criticised McBride for undermining the committee, stating that, despite his political background, all individuals were equal before the law.

“Mr McBride, we are all equal before the law. Understanding your historical, political credentials here means nothing,” he said.

As the MPs voiced their concerns, Lekganyane attempted to calm the situation, acknowledging the complaints but urging all members to remain composed.

“First of all, I want to make an appeal to all of us that we must not speak emotion. Let’s not speak emotion. The emotions will not help us to achieve what we want to achieve,” Lekganyane urged. He added that the session had to proceed smoothly for the benefit of the investigation.

In an attempt to pacify McBride and ensure that the proceedings would not be derailed, Lekganyane appealed to the former IPID head’s experience and seniority, saying, “We respect you so much. And your contribution to the liberation of this country has not gone unnoticed. We know what you contributed. And we don’t even doubt your loyalty to the republic.”

Lekganyane further asked McBride to help facilitate a cooperative atmosphere, saying, “Can you please help us to learn from you? I’m trying to find a polite way of talking to you so that we help each other to have very smooth and successful proceedings.

''You are a senior citizen in this country. We can’t even call you here to come in and dignify you,'' he said. 

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za 

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