Covid-19: Steenhuisen reported for leaking letter on SANDF deployment
- DA interim leader John Steenhuisen may be in some hot water after posting a letter on the increased deployment of SANDF members
- The letter had been sent to Parliament by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday evening
- The Joint Standing Committee of Defence has agreed to refer Steenhuisen to National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise
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Democratic Alliance interim leader John Steenhuisen may well have let the cat out of the bag early concerning the increased deployment of South African National Defence Force members.
Just moments before President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed SA on Tuesday evening, Steenhuisen posted a letter detailing the deployment on social media.
Briefly.co.za reported that Ramaphosa had authorised the deployment of over 73 000 additional SANDF members to assist police in the battle against the coronavirus.
When Ramaphosa deploys the army, he is legally required to alert Parliament of the development.
READ ALSO: DA leader reveals president's letter asking for 73 180 more soldiers
Now, the Joint Standing Committee of Defence has been asked by ANC MP Anele Gxoyiya to condemn and handle the 'mischievous leaking' of the letter by Steenhuisen.
Cyril Xaba, the chairperson of the committee, agreed that it was unfortunate that the public was privy to this decision before the committee itself was fully aware, reports News24.
The committee raised no objections when Steenhuisen asked if the matter should be referred to National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise.
Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula explained that the entire SANDF has been put on standby in the face of the 'magnitude of the challenge' that is handling the current pandemic.
The original deployment of 2 280 is facing the possibility of exhaustion after dealing with the crisis for the past four weeks.
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Source: Briefly News
