Zille must publicly apologise for her deceit

The adaptable reaction by DA leader Helen Zille against The New Age Business Briefing breakfasts defies belief, while she continues to indulge in public funded publicity stunts and politics of deceit, says the ANC.

The Western Cape premier's department under a cloud entered into a multi-million Rand communication contract and is still pumping at least a million Rand a month into that company TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris.

ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman says: "The contract with TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris was suspiciously renewed without starting a fresh competitive process - as was undertaken. Zille and her government at the end of the dubious contract unilaterally extended it at a vast cost to the taxpayer - at least a million Rand a month! This excludes all kinds of extra incidental costs of millions that was claimed by TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris. The estimated cost now ranges between R50 to R70 million!

"This is over and above to the extravagant and extensive buying of publicity from radio stations and other means of building her and the DA's profile at the expense of the taxpayer. It is utterly strange therefore that Zille made such a fuss of suddenly withdrawing from the TNA breakfast engagement she agreed to, while she previously wanted to appear at such an event and even publicly praised the organisers and sponsors (including Telkom) ‘for making it possible'! Such devious standards are becoming her trademark!

"Zille has with TNA breakfasts put her foot in it by fibbing, betrayed herself and are entangled in a media war she cannot win. She is pulling out all propaganda stops and spin-doctors to cosmetically cover-up her tarnishing profile. This is but one incident of the DA leader's double standards and again proves why the public cannot politically trust her or the DA. She should immediately apologise for her deceits or vacate her public position."

Zille's egg-dancing with spin, lies, smoke and mirrors are catching up with her. She has been caught saying she did not know and only after a video emerged did she remember it was sponsored by Telkom!

Zille did similar summersaults about the ill-considered involvement of her advisers and office in the said communications contract - something the Public Protector found to be riddled with maladministration, fruitless and wasteful expenditure as well as improper DA cadre deployment!

She first claimed there was no ‘buddy-buddy' involvement and later that she at that time did not know of it. She has yet to condemn that process in her own department!

"The DA boasts it just spent R4 million cash on it provincial office in Cape Town... Where does this money come from? Could it be sponsored by the likes of generous companies who won lucrative contracts from the DA-run government - like TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris?" asks Fransman.

The ANC also calls for a full investigation into the DA trait to use public money to buy publicity and especially to see how many media workers are or were also in the employ (part-time or otherwise) of her, her party or her government.

Statement issued by Marius Fransman, Deputy Minister International Relations & Cooperation and ANC Western Cape Chairperson, January 24 2013

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