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At the helm of DFA were two individuals who were seamlessly aligned with Mbeki’sforeign policy vision, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as Minister, and Ayanda Ntsalubaas Director-General, or administrative head, of the Department. Aziz Pahad,brother of Mbeki’s closest confidant and Minister in the Presidency, Essop Pahad,served as Deputy-Minister, joined by Sue van der Merwe, who has never enjoyed ahigh political profile, for Mbeki’s second term. This ensured that there were fewbureaucratic struggles between the Presidency, the Party and the Department ofForeign Affairs over the direction of foreign policy during Mbeki’s term of office.DFA remained largely inconspicuous.The National Assembly was similarly sidelined. In the 1999 election, the ANC won266 out of 400 possible seats in Parliament. The Party gained 13 more seats in theoverwhelming 2004 election victory, taking its tally to 279. This means that ANCmembers, elected to parliament on a party-list basis, and hence more accountable toparty bosses than to local constituencies, comprise the bulk of parliamentarycommittee membership, intended as oversight of the Executive. However, amember of parliament has recently noted that “parliament’s role in the foreignpolicy decision making process is virtually absent”, and that, “(e)ven parliamentarydebate between the ruling and opposition parties on matters of foreign policy tendsto be limited with one or two exceptions”. 411 Instead, it seems that debates betweenthe ANC and the opposition regarding foreign policy are conducted in the media,with each attempting to score political points against the other for an apparentlymore ‘principled’ stance adopted. While the Parliamentary Hansard records thatsearching questions were raised by opposition parliamentarians, they were oftentreated with disdain, and even annoyance, by the Executive. For example, inresponse to the question raised by leader of the Official Opposition (DemocraticAlliance), Tony Leon, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,What is the total cost to date to the Government for:(a) Accommodation,(b) Living expenses,(c) Transport,411 Ahmed, “The role of parliament: lessons Congress”, 297.174