PRETORIA - “Forget what I say on social media; that's me acting like a fool half the time.”
That was the assertion made by suspended MP Fadiel Adams during his appearance before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday.
Adams returned to the hot seat after his testimony was postponed last week. He had filed his affidavit late.
This was after he blamed a malfunctioning laptop for failure to respond to the Commission on time.
Adams claimed he missed critical Commission emails, leaving him reliant on phone calls and colleagues for updates.
READ | 'I take the Commission seriously' - Fadiel Adams
This was a matter the Commission started with as proceedings kicked off.
The issue was raised at the start of Wednesday’s proceedings, with Adams telling chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga that he takes the Commission’s work seriously.
“I take this Commission seriously. When I address you, you are the only man besides my father who's ever given me a beating; that is how much I respect you,” Adams told Madlanga.
Adams' remarks that his social media utterances are merely an act of what he calls foolishness have drawn criticism from political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast.
“When you address serious issues, you can't crack a joke. For instance, you can't crack a joke about issues of corruption, Madlanga, or issues of security because this is not a laughing matter. Those are issues of national security.”
Breakfast said he could understand if the joke was about a non-serious issue, depending on context.
READ | Madlanga Commission dismisses 'proof' that Adams' laptop is not working
However, Breakfast said MPs are held to a higher standard because of the positions they occupy.
“The standards used to judge MP’s must be high because those are leaders society looks up to and, as such, need to be held to high standards