The ANC’s attempts to stop the public from knowing the truth about taxpayers’ money spent on President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead have plumbed new depths with parliamentary chief whip Mathole Motshekga’s latest offering.
Motshekga says the DA’s request for a parliamentary debate on the matter is “frivolous”.
In fact the matter is very serious and will not go away until questions are answered.
He says: “The essence of a debate in Parliament is to enlighten the public with the information on the subject of debate, and provide guidance on the matter under contest.”
In our view Nkandlagate would fit this description perfectly.
The public would dearly love to be enlightened with information on the subject.
The chief whip’s office said in a statement that Zuma and relevant ministers have “comprehensively” responded to questions from opposition parties on the upgrade to Zuma’s home.
That’s complete nonsense. Zuma and his ministers have ducked and dived, refusing to answer direct questions and hiding behind apartheid-era legislation. It is quite clear that a lot more has been spent on Nkandla than would be allowed under the much- vaunted ministerial handbook.
It is also disingenuous to try, as ministers have done, to bury the whole R238-million bill under the pretext that anything to do with the president’s private home is covered under the National Key Points Act.
It is a disgrace that the ANC chief whip is not interested in the democratic values of accountability and transparency.
His bid to block debate is as childish as those of the MK vets who lay in the road en route to Zuma’s homestead, preventing a tiny DA delegation from passing. Pathetic.
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