New DIRCO committee looks more Israel-friendly

ANT KATZ

An all-new Parliamentary Standing Committee on International Relations and Cooperation has been nominated and elected their new chair last week.

This is the vital SA parliamentary committee that impacts on relations between SA and Israel – and that organised the abortive Cape Town Declaration earlier this year.

It seems that only the ACDP’s long-serving committee member, Cheryllyn Dudley, has been re-elected to the body.

The full list of members from the ANC are: Mr MSA Masango – PICTURED RIGHT – who was elected by the Committee as its chair, Mr Pallo Jordan, Mr BA Radebe, Mr MSA Maila, LKB Mpulwana, Dr ZP Jordan, and Ms TE Kenye,

The DA retains two seats on the committee, which will be filled by Mr S Mokgalapa and Ms SV Kalyan.

The EFF are represented by Ms M Moonsamy; the ACDP as already mentioned by Cheryllyn Dudley; and COPE by their leader Mr MGP Lekota.

UDM leader Dr BH Holomisa is also on the committee as is the IFP’s Mr MA Mncwango.

Jewish Report Online understands that Parliamentary newbie and committee chair Mosango “appears balanced” with no indications of being an extremist and, (understandably), seemed nervous when taking the chair for the first time last week.

• CLICK TO VIEW 67 PREVIOUS SAJR ITEMS ON THE “DIRCO” COMMITTEE
• CLICK TO SEE 89 PREVIOUS SAJR ITEMS ON THE CT DECLARATION

This is, of course, important to Zionists of all ilk as this is the committee of Parliamentarians who deal with SA/Israeli issues – and almost succeeded in passing the Cape Town Declaration a week before the 7 May elections.

This week and next the committee will be briefed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on the departmental budgets and generally about the work DIRCO are doing..

• Hon Masango was previously an MEC in the Mpumalanga Provincial Government.