By REGINALD KANYANE
North West MEC for Education, Wendy Matsemela tabled a departmental budget at the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) through a virtual on Tuesday. However, over R18 billion departmetal budget presentation was in turmoil after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) walked out of that seating after accusing the NWPL Speaker, Sussana Dantjie of contravention of the rules.
EFF provincial chairperson, Shakes Botswe said they have noted with concern the demagogic and desperate decision by Dantjie to allow the tabling of a budget vote that did not follow due processes of adoption.
Botswe said on the 25 May 2021, Dantjie convened a house seating that had to debate four budgets from different departments in the province.
“On the eve of the seating, the legislature circulated an order paper that only had two budget votes. The reasoning behind the disregard for the others was that, the respective committee of those two departments had not adopted the Annual Performance Plans (APP).
“It is worth noting that even the two budgets votes that were tabled for debates had not been adopted by a committee. The Chairperson of the Committee, Kabelo Matoboge signed and submitted the APP to the legislature under a disguise that the committee had adopted the budget vote,” he said.
Botswe further said the EFF in the legislature raised this matter with Dantjie before the commencement of the debate for the budget vote. He added that all other opposition parties raised the same concern with Dantjie who acknowledged their concerns and stated that she will investigate the matter.
“Dantjie being delinquent, she further went on and ruled that the debate must continue irrespective of the concerns raised by the MPLs. All opposition parties in the legislature placed it on record that they will not validate and legitimize an unlawful process to take place as the legislature cannot debate a budget vote that was not adopted by the committee,” said Botswe.
He alleged that Mataboge was ‘deliberately’ absent for this particular seating as he knew that his constitutional delinquency and thuggery would be exposed. He said they call on Dantjie to desist from her demagogic tendencies in a quest to lobby support for herself in the party politics of the ANC by compromising the decorum of the legislature.
The DA provincial Chief Whip, Freddy Sonakile shared the same sentiments. Sonakile said despite the strong objections, Dantjie played her usual bulldoze tactic by ignoring all legislative processes and irregularly proceeding with the budget votes without blinking an eye.
“The Framework for Strategic and Annual Performance Plans (APP) as outlined by National Treasury, clearly stipulates the processes that APPs have to undergo.
“The Rules of the House further make it clear that there needs to be a quorum before any matter is adopted or rejected by a Portfolio Committee, a rule that the ANC Speaker and Chief Whip, Paul Sebegoe, have seemingly forgotten today,” he said.
Sonakile alleges that the Portfolio Committee on Education, Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation did not quorate and could therefore not adopt the APPs of the respective departments. He said Dantjie’s decision to ignore this contravention of due processes not only emphasises her thirst for lawlessness, but also underscores her ineptitude to accomplish proper oversight of government action as per the legislature’s mandate.
“This is precisely why the DA submitted a motion of no confidence against her in February 2021, which she flatly refuses to table. Dantjie is not fit for the important position that she holds and we will seek legal advice to take further action against her,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dantjie told the seating that she will investigate these allegations and will revert to them afterward.
The Guardian 