DAVIES SHOULD ADDRESS PARLIAMENT IMMEDIATELY ON AGOA DISPUTE

Congress of the People believes very strongly that Minister Rob Davies should seek to address parliament as a matter of urgency on the AGOA dispute before it is too late.

He needs to put his side of the story before the nation in parliament. More importantly, he needs to show that South Africa played its part to the fullest in advancing a resolution of the dispute. He must say to parliament that there was no breakdown in communication because of any failures on the part of his department. If he is confident that he and his department did not constitute the problem, he will have no difficulty in declaring that before parliament.

He must demonstrate his bona fides to South Africa as well as to the United States.

It is sad that ANC ministers seldom choose to invite themselves to parliament, as the rules freely allow, to address matters of great national concern. Accountability and common sense dictate that they should do so in the interest of transparency. Scorching speculation is another great benefit of such an exercise.

COPE does not want this matter to remain the exclusive province of Minister Davies. His failure must not plunge the South African economy into a deeper hole. Our country needs every economic opportunity and AGOA is an important export pipeline.

COPE demands that Minister Davies explains to parliament why his department has not concluded the negotiations with USA authorities over so many months and to give opposition parties an opportunity to question him closely on the matter.

Issued by Dennis Bloem, COPE Spokesperson, 9 November 2015