Report on parliamentary official's suicide to be presented to his family

A Public Service Commission (PSC) report on the death of parliamentary employee Lennox Garane last year, will first be presented to his family before Parliament deals with it.

It took the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament an hour, behind closed doors, to come to this decision on Wednesday.

After the meeting, committee co-chairperson Peace Mabe told the media the committee agreed that the report would first be presented to the family.

Parliament's executive authorities – the Speaker of the National Assembly and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces – will do this within seven days.

Another meeting will then be scheduled, but unlike Wednesday's meeting, it will be open to the public and media.

Mabe said due to the sensitive nature of the matter, the committee decided to discuss it behind closed doors.

At Wednesday's meeting, they agreed to have the next meeting in public.

At around midday on September 14 last year, Garane, the section manager for policy in the international relations and protocol division of Parliament, shot himself in his office in the 90 Plein Street building on the Parliamentary precinct.

His family described his suicide as a form of protest.

At his funeral, his son Sithembiso blamed Parliament for his father's death, claiming the institution - including its presiding offers - were aware of and failed to resolve his father's 20-month dispute.

It was also said that Garane left a suicide note in which he blamed his death on bullies employed at Parliament. The note stated that he was removed from his position and placed in a position he did not want.

In March, the family expressed their shock that they had to learn through the media about the PSC's preliminary report.

Over the weekend, the Sunday Times reported on the final PSC report – the one that was discussed at the meeting, which the media was prevented from attending

According to the Sunday Times, the PSC wants three senior managers at Parliament to be assessed for their fitness and proficiency to hold their positions.