National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has moved to calm growing political tensions within Parliament, stating that the institution is properly carrying out its constitutional duties despite ongoing disputes linked to impeachment-related processes.

Her remarks come amid heightened scrutiny from opposition parties, particularly the Democratic Alliance (DA), regarding the conduct of parliamentary procedures and potential conflicts of interest.

The DA has raised concerns in the Subcommittee on the Review of Assembly Rules, questioning whether Didiza had engaged with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s legal representatives regarding his judicial review application linked to the Independent Panel report on the Phala Phala matter.

DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis suggested that if such meetings occurred, they could raise questions about the Speaker’s impartiality and potentially provide grounds for procedural challenges.He further requested a formal legal opinion from parliamentary legal services on whether such circumstances would require Didiza to recuse herself.

Parliamentary legal advisor Andrew Breytenbach indicated that he could not comment on alleged meetings or their implications, stating that such matters should be directed to the Speaker.

Meanwhile, ANC MPs defended the Speaker’s position, arguing that the Constitutional Court judgment guiding Parliament’s actions does not place restrictions on her personal engagements and that the focus should remain on implementing the court’s directives.MK Party MP Mzwanele Manyi acknowledged concerns raised by the DA but emphasised that the issue could have broader implications if proven.

The DA, however, maintained that correspondence from Didiza did not deny engagement with the President’s legal team, which they argue strengthens their concerns.

In response, Didiza told journalists that Parliament has complied with the Constitutional Court ruling, including implementing required procedural changes such as referring the Independent Panel report to the relevant committee structures.

She stressed that there is no cause for alarm and reiterated that Parliament is executing its constitutional responsibilities in line with the court’s judgment, which struck down Rule 129I as unconstitutional and outlined a revised process for handling such matters.