Parliament says it is not any staff member’s responsibility to do private work for MPs, following a sworn affidavit alleging that Parliamentary Budget Office staff had done academic work for Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Des van Rooyen.
"Parliament wishes to state categorically that it is not in the scope and responsibilities of any official to assist, in their official capacity, anyone including politicians in their private work," it said in a statement on Thursday evening.
The statement follows a letter seen by Business Day, written by a former staff member and submitted to former public protector Thuli Madonsela during her investigation into state capture, where it was stated that two Parliamentary Budget Office staff members had done work for Van Rooyen in 2014 and 2015 when he was whip of the standing committee on finance.
The allegation is also part of evidence at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to which the staff member has taken his employer, claiming he was overlooked for promotion after he had refused to do academic work for MPs.
Parliament on Thursday said no complaint had ever been lodged, despite it having a policy for grievance procedures which allowed employees to raise complaints against their superiors across all levels.
"No complaints were raised with the secretary to Parliament or the presiding officers regarding the matter being alleged," it said.
The director of the Parliamentary Budget Office, Mohammed Jahed, has been accused of facilitating and encouraging his staff to help MPs with academic and political work, according to claim by the former staff member who wrote to Madonsela.
Jahed has denied that he had ever given such instructions to staff and claimed that he had been subjected to a "vicious and disingenuous" attacks by a disgruntled former employee.
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