Deputy Speaker, it is my understanding that the Ministry and Parliament in their wisdom decided that the integration process could not be an open-ended process; that there had to be a point at which the process could be considered to have been accomplished and that date was 31 March 2002.
However, with respect to the intervention in assisting South Africans who today are destitute and unable to provide for themselves and their families because they were soldiers, it was the view of the Ministry and the view of Cabinet that we could not exclude people. Even at the point at which the integration process was closed, the authorities were aware that there were bona fide members of the nonstatutory forces. They may not have been present or available for very good reasons to subject themselves for integration. Others, if I may give an example, were still out of the country studying because they had received bursaries to pursue their education and could not subject themselves to integration. It was in the wisdom of Cabinet that they should not be penalised for that. Thank you, Deputy Speaker.
Investigation into irregular visit by two police officials to office of Public Protector
32. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) asked the Minister of Police:
Whether the investigation into the irregular visit by two police officials to the offices of the Public Protector has been completed; if not, why not; if so, (a) who mandated the police officials to conduct the visit, (b) what was the purpose of the visit, (c) what documents did the police officials retrieve and (d) to which senior officer have these documents been handed?