ANC avoiding debate: DA

2009-11-26 18:07

Johannesburg - DA Gauteng finance spokesperson Mike Moriarty on Thursday accused the ANC of avoiding a debate on the provincial budget.

"It shows us they are not interested in what we have to say or accountability," Moriarty said at the Gauteng Legislature in Johannesburg.

"By disallowing debate, the government has deprived us of our opportunity to do our duty."

On November 17, finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe presented an adjusted budget statement to the legislature which added R3.3bn to the existing provincial budget of R56bn.

Overruled 

Moriarty said the committee decided a debate in the legislature was needed, but that this was overruled after the committee's chair consulted with ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa.

The Gauteng speaker's spokesperson Mzi Khumalo said that the whippery of all the parties in the legislature had agreed that further debate was not needed.

"It's almost a tradition that the adjusted budget gets discussed in committee, but not debated in the legislature," said Khumalo.

"As far as I know, the whippery had a discussion and determined there was not a need for debate."

"That's incorrect," said DA chief whip Glenda Steyn.

Steyn said she approached Hlongwa for time in the legislature to debate the adjusted budget, but was told this could not be accommodated.

"I think the speaker may have been misled on her part," she said.

OSD

Most of the extra funding in the adjusted budget went to implementation of the occupation specific dispensation, which mandates salary increases and better working conditions for public employees, and to fund a loan for the Gautrain.

DA provincial leader John Moodey said the lack of debate indicated Gauteng's finances were in poor health.

"It leads us to believe that things are not as good as the ANC would have us believe."

Moriarty accused the government of wasting public funds.

"When the DA supported the budget for R56bn, [we did so] in the belief that we would get R56bn in services," he said.

Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's inauguration, held in Kliptown, Soweto at a cost of R2.5m, was an example of how this money was being wasted.

In previous years, the inauguration was held in the Gauteng legislature building.

"If the DA was in charge we would not have had a big tent or good eats... but we would have saved Gauteng at least R2m."

Moriarty also referred to the Gauteng Youth Commission and additional funds for the comprehensive HIV/Aids programme.

DA researcher Ashor Sarupen said that after it had received R14.7m, the project was closed.

"As far as I'm concerned no value goes to that," said Moriarty.

Action delayed

Action addressing unauthorised spending had been delayed for five years.

"People would be concerned that the ANC is running away from debate... They are showing they're happy to turn a blind eye, that unauthorised spending isn't important."

Moriarty said if officials were caught breaking policy or the law then there had to be repercussions, including firing or prosecuting them. He accused the ANC of giving disgraced public officials "golden handshakes".

Moriarty criticised the R1.7bn in payments to service providers that were made this year but invoiced, and budgeted for, in the previous year.

"They had either done their job badly or held back their invoices," he said.

In her inaugural address, Mokonyane admitted that service providers had gone unpaid for too long.

Gauteng spokesperson Thabo Masebe has said previously that the R1.7bn was an attempt to correct the problem.

A spokesperson for the Gauteng government could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.

- SAPA