The provincial government has brushed aside Democratic Alliance allegations that the departments of social development and housing have used state resources in an attempt to garner support for the ANC's election campaign.
Donald Lee, a DA MP, accused Social Development MEC Zodwa Magwaza of vote-buying after she distributed vouchers for school uniforms to hundreds of pupils at schools earlier this week.
Michael de Villiers, a DA member of the legislature, said he would ask the standing committee on local government to investigate the department of housing because it published an advertisement inviting bidders to establish and verify a housing list of struggle veterans.
"This is obviously an instruction from the ANC. There is no legislation in place for a housing list particularly for struggle military veterans."
Lee has said school uniform vouchers were distributed at random to pupils in areas where the ANC had been hit by defections to other parties.
"No proper procedure was followed to ensure learners desperately in need of school uniforms actually get them."
The DA supported initiatives to help pupils with uniforms, but was opposed to the politicising of these.
The office of Housing MEC Whitey Jacobs said the department had acted on a call made by the minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, last year.
"Other provinces are doing the same," Jacobs's spokesperson, Lukhanyo Calata, said.
Of the DA accusation that the list amounted to electioneering, Calata said: "I would not call it electioneering. We understand why the DA say this. They are the opposition."
The department of social development said that in her quest to ease the effects of poverty, Magwaza had decided to assist the most vulnerable children in poor communities.
Her office said the uniform vouchers were part of a mandate given by Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya when he announced in November that R500-million for poverty alleviation would be shared by the nine provinces.
The Western Cape received R21-million, of which R9,5-million was used for flood victims and people displaced by xenophobic attacks, and R12,5-million used by district offices for 406 poor households.
"At no stage did the MEC or her officials go out to communities to buy votes," spokesperson Lungi Mbude said.
- Cape Times
Donald Lee, a DA MP, accused Social Development MEC Zodwa Magwaza of vote-buying after she distributed vouchers for school uniforms to hundreds of pupils at schools earlier this week.
Michael de Villiers, a DA member of the legislature, said he would ask the standing committee on local government to investigate the department of housing because it published an advertisement inviting bidders to establish and verify a housing list of struggle veterans.
"This is obviously an instruction from the ANC. There is no legislation in place for a housing list particularly for struggle military veterans."
Lee has said school uniform vouchers were distributed at random to pupils in areas where the ANC had been hit by defections to other parties.
"No proper procedure was followed to ensure learners desperately in need of school uniforms actually get them."
The DA supported initiatives to help pupils with uniforms, but was opposed to the politicising of these.
The office of Housing MEC Whitey Jacobs said the department had acted on a call made by the minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, last year.
"Other provinces are doing the same," Jacobs's spokesperson, Lukhanyo Calata, said.
Of the DA accusation that the list amounted to electioneering, Calata said: "I would not call it electioneering. We understand why the DA say this. They are the opposition."
The department of social development said that in her quest to ease the effects of poverty, Magwaza had decided to assist the most vulnerable children in poor communities.
Her office said the uniform vouchers were part of a mandate given by Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya when he announced in November that R500-million for poverty alleviation would be shared by the nine provinces.
The Western Cape received R21-million, of which R9,5-million was used for flood victims and people displaced by xenophobic attacks, and R12,5-million used by district offices for 406 poor households.
"At no stage did the MEC or her officials go out to communities to buy votes," spokesperson Lungi Mbude said.
- Cape Times
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