Suspend John Block and Alvin Botes with immediate effect

Fresh charges of money laundering against John Block and Alvin Botes must finally force Northern Cape Premier Grizelda Cjiekella to suspend them from their positions as MECs. Mr Block and Mr Botes appeared alongside Yolanda Botha MP in court today on charges relating to government lease deals awarded to Trifecta, a company with close links to them (see here).

Premier Cjiekella has so far failed to suspend Mr Block from the Finance MEC position even though he already faces unrelated charges of fraud, racketeering and corruption in the Intaka case. A court has also found that Mr Block has been mining salt with a fraudulent licence.

It is now so obvious that Mr Block can no longer continue to run the province's finances that the Premier has no choice but to remove him from his post with immediate effect.

These charges are yet another damning indication that the ANC in the Northern Cape has totally lost its moral compass. The entire ANC top 5 in this province now faces serious corruption charges or allegations. Despite this, the recent ANC congress in Upington resoundingly elected these people to lead the party.

We expect Premier Cjiekella to rise above the fact that Mr Block and Mr Botes are her political seniors.

The Premier must act to protect the integrity of the provincial government. It is in the public interest that our institutions are run by people we can trust with taxpayers money.

As the ANC continues to have its rotten core exposed in the Northern Cape, the winds of change will continue to blow toward an alternative government.

These fresh corruption charges coincide with the release of the Presidency's Monitoring and Evaluation Unit's latest report on governance in the nine provinces.

The report shows that where the DA governs, we govern better. The Western Cape achieved the highest performance rate in the country of 94% across four indicators, including clean governance.

We will do the same in the Northern Cape from 2014. Until then the current Northern Cape Premier must clean house by removing MECs Block and Botes immediately.

Statement issued by Andrew Louw, DA Northern Cape Leader, November 21 2012

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