Party and State: DA probes PBF's participation in state visits

Yesterday in Parliament, it was revealed that members of the ANC's so-called Progressive Business Forum (PBF) accompanied the South Africa government delegation on various state visits since the beginning of the Zuma administration. The ANC has long tried to defend its dubious practice of selling time with government ministers, an operation managed by the party's PBF. This most recent revelation illustrates the ANC's rewarding of political and financial patronage by affording PBF members prized places in South African trade delegations- an indisputable conflation of party and state.

So brazen is the ANC about this practice, that the PBF website lists participation "in international trade delegations and seminars/exhibitions" as one of the benefits available to paid-up members. In addition, it has been alleged that the PBF is operating from the Parliamentary precinct, which is publicly-funded and should under no circumstances be used for party political purposes. Such conduct is indicative of the ANC's unashamed use state resources to further entrench its power and reward political loyalty.

In response to the information revealed in Parliament yesterday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will be submitting a series of questions to the President concerning the participation of PBF members in state visits undertaken since he assumed power, namely those to Russia, India, China and the UK. 

This most recent example is the latest in a long line of incidents, such as the Chancellor House/Hitachi debacle, in which the ANC has, each time without fail, chosen party interests over principle. While the activities of the PBF may not be illegal, they border on immoral and unethical.  The use of state resources to generate funding for the ANC undermines the most basic principles of good governance and confirms that the ruling party's loyalty lies with those who support it - politically, financially and otherwise - rather than those it was elected to serve.

Statement issued by Athol Trollip MP, Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Leader, September 9 2010

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