![](\"https:\/\/news.ghanamma.com\/za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2048&operation=CROP&offset=0x15&resize=2048x1152.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
MPs have accused former IPID head Robert McBride of undermining their authority during a parliamentary session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The committee, tasked with investigating allegations stemming from a controversial press conference by General Mkhwanazi in July, quickly descended into a war of words as McBride clashed with several parliamentarians over his conduct.<\/p>\n
McBride lost his temper when MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo questioned him about a family court case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat member of your family was your child, correct?\u201d McBride responded, saying, \u201cWell, you\u2019re starting to get very personal now,\u201d before adding, \u201cNo, you\u2019re asking about my child. You shouldn\u2019t be. You should mind your own business about my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite Nomvalo\u2019s insistence on asking, McBride remained agitated, rejecting the question outright.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re asking about my child, you shouldn\u2019t be. Watch it,<\/span>mind your own business about my family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys was quick to accuse McBride of undermining the committee’s work. \u201cWe\u2019ve been undermined since Mr McBride arrived here this morning,\u201d Mathys said.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the very first questioning, you\u2019ve been hostile and condescending. We are here to do an investigation, Mr McBride, not to be insulted.\u201d<\/p>\n Mathys raised concerns over a remark McBride made earlier in the session, when he reportedly told MPs, \u201cYou must watch it.\u201d<\/p>\n She called it an unacceptable threat. \u201cMr McBride, you can\u2019t come here and threaten any member of parliament. I heard you say, \u2018You must watch it.\u2019 What is that? We are not out here in the field,\u201d Mathys added.<\/p>\n ”You are undermining us. And we’ve been sitting here and we’ve just been quiet,” she said. <\/span><\/p>\n Mathys directly addressed Chairperson Soviet Lekganyane\u2019s handling of the situation. \u201cAnd Chair, you’re not protecting us. Then we may as well just pack up and go, because this is becoming like a podcast. It\u2019s no longer an investigation into anything,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n She further criticised McBride for turning the proceedings into a one-sided affair, accusing him of insulting the committee and dismissing their inquiries. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMr McBride comes here, he insults us as if we’re not conducting an investigation, and only what he says we must take. Everyone else is just a liar. We are here and we’re conducting an investigation. <\/span><\/p>\n ”Just respect us on that, please, Mr McBride. It’s wrong what you’re doing. And Chair, please deal with it and deal with it properly. You’ve been too kind, too much,\u201d Mathys said. <\/span><\/p>\n ActionSA MP Dereleen James, also took issue with McBride\u2019s attitude throughout the session.<\/p>\n \u201cMr McBride needs to pull himself together. He\u2019s been doing this since yesterday, telling us he owes us an apology before we can move on. And now, he\u2019s threatening us,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot continue questioning him if he\u2019s going to be so hostile.\u201d<\/p>\n David Sikhosana from the MK Party also expressed his dissatisfaction with McBride\u2019s conduct, highlighting the witness\u2019s dismissive attitude toward the committee.<\/p>\n \u201cEarlier, when Honorable Xola was questioning the witness, you tried to intervene at that time,\u201d he said to committee chairperson Lekganyane.<\/p>\n \u201cMr McBride said, \u2018You want me to leave.\u2019 That tells you the witness before us is not prepared to take questions,\u201d Sikhosana added.<\/p>\n He further criticised McBride for undermining the committee, stating that, despite his political background, all individuals were equal before the law.<\/p>\n \u201cMr McBride, we are all equal before the law. Understanding your historical, political credentials here means nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As the MPs voiced their concerns, Lekganyane attempted to calm the situation, acknowledging the complaints but urging all members to remain composed.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, I want to make an appeal to all of us that we must not speak emotion. Let\u2019s not speak emotion. The emotions will not help us to achieve what we want to achieve,\u201d Lekganyane urged. He added that the session had to proceed smoothly for the benefit of the investigation.<\/p>\n In an attempt to pacify McBride and ensure that the proceedings would not be derailed, Lekganyane appealed to the former IPID head\u2019s experience and seniority, saying, \u201cWe respect you so much. And your contribution to the liberation of this country has not gone unnoticed. We know what you contributed. And we don\u2019t even doubt your loyalty to the republic.\u201d<\/p>\n Lekganyane further asked McBride to help facilitate a cooperative atmosphere, saying, \u201cCan you please help us to learn from you? I\u2019m trying to find a polite way of talking to you so that we help each other to have very smooth and successful proceedings.<\/p>\n ”You are a senior citizen in this country. We can\u2019t even call you here to come in and dignify you,” he said. <\/p>\n hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za <\/p>\n Politics <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MPs have accused former IPID head Robert McBride of undermining their authority during a parliamentary session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Thursday. The committee, tasked with investigating allegations stemming from a controversial press conference by General Mkhwanazi in July, quickly descended into a war of words as McBride clashed with several parliamentarians over his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":270250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[20110,1425,20111,12773,1121,904,1270,6935],"class_list":["post-270249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-039from","tag-blast","tag-hostile039","tag-mcbride","tag-mps","tag-question","tag-robert","tag-youve"],"yoast_head":"\n