ANC sweeps Travelgate under the carpet

Lest you forget that a leopard never changes its spots, the new crew in guvmunt have returned to business as usual.

While the nation's attention was diverted with the Mbeki/Zuma/Motl..the new guy, the ANC quietly got rid of the scam that was Travelgate.

Yes dear folks, our parleymunt 'bought' the 'debt' the 220 MPs STOLE so not only are we taxpayers losing out on the money they STOLE, we get to double up by using our money to cover the stolen money. In effect, we taxpayers lose out twice - and the criminals in parleymunt get off without having to face court or pay the money back!

What a country! What a system! The ANC is without a single shred of decency. It must be removed.

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Last week Tuesday - while the nation was understandably immersed the tumult surrounding the resignation of former-president Thabo Mbeki and his cabinet ministers - Parliament, under the stewardship of then-Speaker Baleka Mbete, took the opportunity to announce quietly that a decision had been taken to abandon the debt owed the legislature by the miscreant MPs allegedly involved in the so-called Travelgate scandal.

The decision is effectively a double-blow to the South African taxpayer: not only is this massive misuse of public money being brushed under the carpet, but the South African public must also foot the bill for Parliament's convenient political solution.

Earlier this year, under pressure from MPs, Parliament attempted to withdraw its mandate to the liquidators of Bathong Travel to recover outstanding monies from MPs implicated in the travel voucher fraud. This move was met with opposition from Bathong's other creditors, and was subsequently abandoned.

Parliament then requested a report from legal advisors which indicated that certain of the claims had prescribed; certain of them were procedurally faulty in that the legislature had not been joined as party to the claim; and that it was not economically viable to recover certain others because the cost of recovery through legal process would exceed the actual amount claimed.

As a result, Parliament has decided to withdraw its mandate to the liquidators to recover the debt, and, in order to prevent other entities from purchasing that claim and proceeding against MPs, Parliament has decided to buy back the claim - which exceeds R3 200 000 - at reduced cost of R200 000.

As a matter of principle the Democratic Alliance (DA) raises its vehement objection to this decision as it amounts to a double jeopardy for the South African taxpayer. Not only was Parliament (and therefore, the public) defrauded by certain miscreant MPs, but now the legislature plans to buy back their debt from the liquidators charged with recovering it.

The DA has consistently and repeatedly criticised the failure by Parliament to act appropriately and decisively against the MPs who are alleged to have been involved in this scandal - which has severely compromised the South African public's trust in the institution, and in the MPs who have been mandated to be their representatives.

This latest attempt at a political - rather than judicial - solution to the matter has been forwarded on the grounds of expediency. While it is tempting to see the "sense" in such a plan, it is in fact neither sensible nor ethically or morally acceptable for Parliament to go down a road which would essentially exonerate the fraud of those MPs who are guilty of criminal misconduct, at the expense of the very taxpayers whom their actions allegedly defrauded. Under these circumstances, the only acceptable course of action is one which will see those guilty of stealing from the people they are sworn to serve compelled to settle the full amounts due, or where necessary, face full criminal prosecution for their actions.

One of the principal functions of Parliament is to provide robust and effective oversight of government actions on behalf of the people of South Africa, by maintaining the transparency and accountability of the executive. If Parliament fails to take a principled stance in this matter and ensure that its own members are effectively brought to account, we will risk seeing the further erosion of the integrity and the dignity of this crucial branch of government.

Statement issued by Ian Davidson MP.