Telkom donation 'above board'
2002-09-27 09:59
Cape Town - The African National Congress in parliament on Thursday rejected calls by the Democratic Alliance for it to repay a R58 000 Telkom donation.
Last week, the Democratic Alliance asked National Assembly
Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala to have the ANC return the donation to
Telkom.
"It is quite clear that Telkom did not donate the money for the purpose for which it was used," DA Chief Whip Douglas Gibson said.
But, on Thursday, ANC parliamentary spokesperson Cuba Mahaye said no attempts had been made to mislead Telkom about the donation's application.
It was to be used for the whippery of the majority party, and
there was no misunderstanding about this.
The donation was to facilitate a strategic planning workshop of the whippery to "strengthen" the work and planning of parliament, he said.
The term "whippery" did not exist in ANC structures, only in
parliament's, he said.
The electorate had given the ANC the responsibility to run
parliament, and the party would not abdicate that responsibility.
Mahaye added that Telkom had paid the donation directly to the
hotel where the workshop was held, and as no money had been paid
into the ANC's account, there was nothing to repay.
- SAPA