JOHANNESBURG – The Democratic Alliance (DA) says its recent attacks on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi are not borne of the bitterness of not being part of his government.
On Monday, the DA announced that it had reported Lesufi and four other African National Congress (ANC) legislature members to the Public Protector for violating the Members’ Executive Ethics Act.
This comes hot on the heels of the DA filing a Promotion of Access to Information Act application against Lesufi to release forensic reports they claim he is hiding.
Shortly after the May elections, the DA voted to elect ANC member, Lesufi as premier.
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The DA’s vote was based on a tentative agreement between the two parties that they would form a coalition government in Gauteng.
However, talks between the two parties broke down.
DA Gauteng Leader Solly Msimanga said that the party is not retaliating against Lesufi but doing its duties of holding the government to account as the official opposition.
“Even if we were in government, we would still be pursuing this and I suspect now this is why we were kept out of government is that we would have had the files in front of us. We would have been able to ask the officials directly to give us these reports.”
The ANC is yet to respond to a high court affidavit by former Legislature Secretary Peter Skosana which alleges undue influence on his work by the party’s leaders.
Thabiso Goba
www.ewn.co.za
