BLOOM'S FISHING EXPEDITIONS ON MOKONYANE ADMINISTRATION TEDIOUS
The Gauteng Provincial Government has slammed the official opposition leader in Gauteng, Mr Jack Bloom, for his tiresome fishing expeditions into the conduct of the Mokonyane administration.
"Every year since Premier Nomvula Mokonyane assumed office, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has been hell-bent on sullying her image and that of the Office of the Premier by hurling all sorts of allegations against her. We are not averse to criticism; we actually welcome constructive criticism from all quarters -- especially those who are constitutionally-mandated to help us make this a better province," Provincial Head of Communication, Matlakala Motloung said.
The latest of the DA allegations surfaced recently when Mr Bloom tried to compare Premier Mokonyane's spending on her credit card while MEC for Local Government and Housing in 2008 to that of the MEC who took over the local government and housing portfolio when she moved to become the Premier.
Bloom's statement, titled 'Mokonyane spends R196,000 on government credit card -- Bloom' was a sensationalist spin on current Local Government and Housing MEC, Ntombi Mekgwe's answer in the Legislature where Mekgwe stated clearly that the funds were used for government work and were approved as such.
Prior to his obsession with executive credit card usage, Bloom's favourite past time was the cost of the official residence of the Premier, a question he asked more than three times in various guises over the past three years. In 2011, he asked about the cost of renovations at the residence; and was answered. In the same year he asked about the furniture and was duly answered. Now he is at it again; asking about the furniture bought at the official residence since the Premier moved in.
While the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has spent some money on changes in the official residence including purchasing a new bed; it must also be remembered that this is a State house and all the upgrades are state assets which belong to the people of Gauteng. It is important that we remind Mr. Bloom that Premier Mokonyane has her own home where she spends time with her family.
The upgrades to this official residence were necessary as the property had serious structural damage, which led to leaking in some parts of the house that damaged certain furniture. This was not ideal as this is a place that is used by the Premier to host foreign and local visitors, some of whom are keen on investing in the province, thus creating much-needed employment.
Financial prudence has always been part of Mokonyane's commitment since coming into office in 2009. An example of this includes the cancellation of some the costly contracts which the Gauteng Provincial Government had entered into. In that same spirit, the Premier hosts some meetings and functions at the official residence, thus saving the government funds which could have been used at expensive hotels and restaurants.
As a province, we have tried, at all times; to provide Mr Bloom with all the information requested. However, it is clear the DA is not interested in getting to the bottom of the truth but wants to waste precious time that could be better utilised serving communities. Instead, theirs is a fishing expedition only seeking to cast aspersions on the Premier and further undermine the good work her administration is carrying out on a daily basis.
There is little doubt that Bloom is clutching at straws to find any information to tarnish the image of Premier Mokonyane and the province and will stop at nothing until he gets something to stick.
I guess it is easy if you are not governing to point fingers and criticise. As they say; talk is cheap.
It is a pity that some public servants have not accepted that this is a legitimate government elected by the majority and want to run a parallel state by keeping Mr Bloom abreast of any anomalies or shortcomings (which are inherent in any system), instead of raising those issues with the relevant authority - something that anyone who wants to build this country would do.
The media-obsessed Mr Bloom would be more useful to the province and its 11-million residents if he not only uses the media as a platform to advance his career by churning out copious amounts of statements to the media but by becoming part of providing solutions to the myriad of challenges facing our people.
Statement issued by Gauteng Premier's spokesperson Thebe Mohatle, October 21 2012
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