Express nc 12 june 2013

Page 1

Northern Cape

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WEDNESDAY 12 JUNE 2013 WWW.EXPRESS­NEWS.CO.ZA

DA wants list expanded Block, Botes, Botha must be included } Boipelo Mere THE DA in the province continues to raise concerns about the presence of the MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, John Block, and the new MEC for Coghsta, Alvin Botes, in the provincial cabinet. The DA has applauded the action taken by the minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeff Radebe, to name and shame corrupt people. Radebe has released the names of 42 people convicted of fraud and corruption – and promised to release many more – as a sign of the government’s intent to clamp down on corrupt officials. He said more names from a long list of over 3 000 convicted individuals would be released later. Radebe said the list of convicted fraudsters would be posted on government websites to ensure that they were not reemployed in any government department. “They will be blacklisted to ensure that they do not move from one government department to another,” said the minister. The DA has then written a letter to Radebe requesting him to include Block, Botes and Yolanda Botha on the corruption list of those to be shamed. The letter written by Andrew Louw as the provincial leader of the DA states that the National Prosecuting Authority has just confirmed that the Asset Forfeiture Unit was attaching John Block’s R3 million Upington guesthouse. Two weeks ago the DA and Cope boycotted the legislature sitting and accused Premier Sylvia Lucas of being weak after she failed to axe Block

Northern Cape

TWO WEEKS ago the opposition parties again boycotted the house­sitting when Premier Sylvia Lucas announced the reshuffling.

Photo: Boipelo Mere

and Botes, and instead shifted Botes to another department. The house-sitting proceeded without any questions or comments from any of the opposition parties since they were all absent. Zamani Saul said that they were disaffected by the opposition parties’

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constant behaviour of walk-outs and absenteeism during house-sittings. “They are not disrupting any government programmes. This is an attention-seeking act that we do not have time for. We do not have time to massage their egos. We did not behave like this when Pakes Dikgetsi

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was accused of corruption,” added Zamani. Alvin Botes said that they would take the responsibility of educating people so that all misrepresentations were corrected. “We will fix the damage caused by the opposition within our communi-

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ties,” Botes was heard saying during the sitting. The opposition, made up of Cope and the DA, said in a statement that Block and Botes had brought the provincial government into disrepute as they both faced serious criminal charges.

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Boipelo Mere

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