JOHANNESBURG - Professor Richard Calland is pulling out of the committee that will be looking into the Phala Phala farm robbery.
WATCH | Opposition parties raise concerns about Phala Phala inquiry panel
This follows objections that were sent to National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
Calland says he also understands that it may not be in the best interests of the parliamentary process for him to serve as a member of the section 189 committee.
The Democratic Alliance, along with other civil society organisations asked Mapisa-Nqakula to reconsider Calland's inclusion on the panel.
Calland maintains that he is a fiercely independent person, and rejected suggestions that he is biased towards the president.