Premier Mokgoro should answer for fruitless expenditure on withdrawn Parks and Tourism Bill

19 May 2021

Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by DA North West Spokesperson on Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), Jacqueline Theologo. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West will write to Premier Job Mokgoro, requesting him to supply the Exco resolution on the withdrawal of the Bill on the merging of the Parks and Tourism Boards, the costs incurred to process this Bill only for it to be withdrawn and also whether a decision has been made to accept defeat or start the process from scratch.

The Bill was rejected by the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism in the Provincial Legislature due to its contradictions and inconsistencies.

The DA opposed the amalgamation because of the millions of Rand spent on the separation of the two entities five years back. Our questions on the implications of a merger on the two Boards, staff complement and costs remains unanswered.

The Department also never responded to our various requests for the asset registers of these entities. To merge two entities without taking stock of what is left after the split in the previous administration, is simply irresponsible.

Despite the strong opposition by the Portfolio Committee, stakeholders and public participants, the Bill was scheduled to be debated during the plenary sitting in the Legislature yesterday.

To our surprise, however, the MEC for the Department of DEDECT, Keneilwe Mosenogi, withdrew the Bill in terms of Rule 259 before it could be debated.

From the turn of events, it seemed that the Speaker, Sussana Dantjie, and the Table Staff, was privy to this withdrawal, but that Premier Mokgoro was just as surprised as the rest of us.

In his State of the Province Address (SOPA) earlier this year, Premier Mokgoro promised that the merger will be finalised by April, which has long passed.

We want to know what the plan of action is to resolve the challenges pertaining to the Parks and Tourism Boards and we reiterate that the costs to merge the two entities will lead to even more wasted public funds.

Issued by Jacqueline Theologo, DA North West Spokesperson on DEDECT, 19 May 2021