Parliament's vote on the appointment of a new public protector has been deferred again to a yet to be determined date in October.

This emerged on Thursday at the meeting of the National Assembly’s programme committee.

The meeting also heard the medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) due to be presented by finance minister Enoch Godongwana on October 25 has been postponed to November 1.

The MTBPS has been pushed back because, among other things, many MPs will be in Angola attending meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global body of national parliaments colloquially referred to as the UN of parliaments.

“I had discussions with the minister, we’ve agreed and mandated us to go ahead. We agreed we have the MTBPS on November 1 and it will be at the [Cape Town] City Hall,” National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told the committee.

No party objected to the deferral of the MTBPS, which lays out the government’s expenditure framework for the next three years.

National Assembly secretary Masibulele Xaso said the vote to appoint the new public protector, which was scheduled for September 21, had to be postponed because of the unavailability of the city hall.

The preferred candidate to replace advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who was voted out of office on Monday after adverse findings of a fitness to hold office inquiry, is acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka.

But her candidacy must be endorsed by 60% of the 400 MPs, and parliament wants the sitting to be physical, in the same way the vote to remove Mkhwebane was conducted.

Gcaleka's looming appointment was originally scheduled for the same day as Mkhwebane's ouster, but was postponed to September 21 to spare MPs a lengthy sitting. 

“We’ve been able to secure the venue for the MTBPS. The city hall is not available for September 21. We are exploring other possibilities in terms of venues,” said Xaso.

He also indicated the number of voting MPs may be reduced on September 21 as several oversight committees planned to travel during that period, saying at least 22 MPs were likely to not take part in the proceedings if not postponed.

“I’m [also] informed there are at least two committees that intended to travel ... over that period.”

ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina supported the postponement of the vote, saying the number of MPs likely to be absent on September 21 was significantly more than 22 because there were more than two committees travelling for public hearings, oversight visits or study tours.

But Majodina insisted the matter should be prioritised as parliament reconvenes from the September recess.

DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube cautioned against the matter being handled in a “tardy” fashion.

The new protector must be appointed by October 15.

The committee also resolved that the justice committee is the appropriate parliamentary structure to deal with impeachment proceedings against Western Cape judge president John Hlophe.

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