Zille bullying protector, says ANC
2012-05-14 20:53
Johannesburg - Western Cape Premier Helen Zille's threat to take the public protector to court was a bullying tactic, the office of the ANC Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga said on Monday.
"We believe that Zille's threat is nothing short of a political manoeuvre designed to bully the public protector and thereby send a chilling message to chapter 9 institutions that the party is untouchable," it said in a statement.
The protector, Thuli Madonsela, has reportedly found in a draft report that a Western Cape tender awarded to advertising agency TBWA/Hunt Lascaris in 2010 to centralise communications was invalid.
Madonsela's report was leaked to newspapers a week before a deadline for the province's response.
Zille said this prejudiced the province's right to rectify what it described as material legal errors in the draft report before the report was finalised.
"Without casting aspersions on the public protector herself, we believe this premature leak prejudices the administration of justice and compromises our rights," she said.
Zille said repeated attempts to contact Madonsela had failed and so the province had to publicly state its case.
"Should the draft report's material errors in law not be rectified in the final report we will take the findings on review to the high court," said Zille.
The office of the chief whip said: "The legal threat... sets a worrying precedent in that chapter 9 institutions... may in future be forced to spend their budget allocations defending themselves in court against government institutions than on their statutory obligations."
The office said it was "gravely concerned" because this underminded the public's respect, trust, and confidence in state institutions.
Also on Monday, the Western Cape branch of the African National Congress said it was shocked at Zille's "desperate attacks" on Madonsela.
"The ANC is alarmed that premier Zille is in breach of the confidentiality on the interim report, while at the same time it is shocked by her arrogant attitude," provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile said in a statement.
"The ANC calls on Zille to immediately retract and apologise for her irresponsible statements and to observe the set process by the Public Protector to investigate the allegations against her provincial government."
He said Zille's attempts to circumvent and undermine the work of the Public Protector by intimidating and discrediting her was untenable.
- SAPA
