ANC says DA abuses state funds for party

The Western Cape ANC says the DA in the province is abusing taxpayer money to build that party's profile thought publicity promotions.

The ANC also questions the motivation for taking ordinary service delivery projects and made a media circus of it.

In a reply to ANC chief whip Pierre Uys' questions on the cycle leisure excursion premier Helen Zille admitted that it was a "communication exercise" which proves that the media show was organised just for publicity and that her government had directly paid R291 481,16 for the state sponsored outing from Plettenberg Bay back to Cape Town.

Uys says: "This does not include the hidden cost of a large police contingent with blue light vehicles escorting her and her cabinet members, provincial traffic cars with blue lights or local government involvement. The whole extravaganza was a guise to promote DA leaders and looks more like an early weeklong Christmas spree in June where bicycles, torches and radios where handed out."

From her reply it is clear this was only the start of such occurrences as more such trips are planned.

"It is a very expensive promotional ploy - a gimmick that does not really make sense to poor and ordinary people. The reply is loaded with explaining that was not required in order to gloss over and justify the outing. The target audience seems to have been nationally instead of focussed on the province only.

"Since the premier took up cycling as her personal recreational activity, she was involved in a number or activities aimed at raising her publicity profile. In this particular instance an important sitting of the provincial legislature was cancelled at the expense of the taxpayer due to the unavailability of government leaders - who were out on the road instead of accounting for the work they are doing," says Uys.

Statement issued by ANC Chief Whip Pierre Uys, August 15 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter