DA leader barred from criticising scandal ‘culprits’
Bhisho legislature speaker Noxolo Kiviet has ordered DA leader Athol Trollip to stop criticising the ANC-led house for handling those implicated in the Mandela memorial scandal with kid gloves.
Trollip was criticising premier Phumulo Masualle’s government for failing to act against those implicated in the scandal, saying what made matters worse was the premier’s hands were also not clean.
But ANC MPL and sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC, Pemmy Majodina, last seen on national television loudly defending President Jacob Zuma in parliament last week, ruled Trollip out of order for “expecting the house to discuss a matter before court”.
This resulted in Kiviet barring Trollip from making any further comments in the legislature about the scandal.
The censure happened during a legislature debate this week on Masualle’s state of the province address.
Addressing Masualle directly, and in reference to the premier being linked to the transfer of R250000 of state cash into his personal bank account to spend during Nelson Mandela’s funeral in December 2013, Trollip said Masualle came to the premiership post “with a dark cloud over his head”.
Masualle was finance MEC at the time of the cash transfer, which was later reversed out of his account.
Trollip told Masualle: “Well, Mr premier, you came into office with this scandal hanging over your head and despite everything the ANC, ANC secretary-general , the president and you say about the ANC leading the war on corruption, it rings hollow in everyone’s ears.
“The only conviction in the Mandela funeral corruption case to date has been that of Mr Sokwali, the businessman who provided fictitious and fraudulent invoices.
“None of the high-ranking ANC office bearers, some seated here in the front row, have even been prosecuted.
“Not to mention the ANC cadre deployees in civil service who obediently prepared and paid for fictitious invoices,” Trollip said.
The DA leader said he was disappointed in “all this non action” despite ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane saying the matter was investigated by the ANC integrity commission and an outcome was be expected last September.
Majodina then raised her point of order saying: “This matter concerning the Mandela funeral is a matter before courts and we cannot talk about that in this house, speaker,” she claimed.
Kiviet joined in, saying the matter was indeed unsuitable for house discussions as it was a matter before court.
Trollip yesterday told the Daily Dispatch that the sub judice law had changed dramatically and could no longer be used “to protect thin-skinned and arrogant politicians from public scrutiny and debate”.
Trollip added he would be challenging Kiviet’s ruling. — asandan@dispatch.co.za