Signal jamming smokescreen descends on Parliament

Suggestions of executive culpability in Parliament’s cellphone jamming episode were swept aside yesterday when Security Minister David Mahlobo denied any responsibility for the event and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa hid behind the sub judice rule to avoid answering questions on what he knew about the jamming, notes Legalbrief. Mahlobo brushed aside an opposition call to resign over the signal jamming during the State of the Nation Address, saying he could not be held responsible for an operational error. According to a report in The Times, Mahlobo told the National Assembly that since he had not ordered the signal blocking a question from DA intelligence spokesperson on whether he was prepared to quit was therefore ‘irrelevant’. ‘There was no executive authority... we have indicated that in terms of operational efficiency an error occurred, we regretted the error and on that basis we indicated our apologies that there was no intentional disruption of signal,’ Mahlobo said. DA MP David Maynier insisted that the Minister bore ultimate responsibility and accused him of resorting to the ‘rogue official defence’. Mahlobo retorted: ‘One issue that we have indicated to all South Africans is an operational error and we Ministers don't get involved in those.’ When pressed by Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald, Mahlobo said there was a difference between executive and administrative responsibility and the opposition failed to understand it.