Potholes, missing MECs and other mysteries

Extraordinary!

There are actually people in what serves as the public gallery in the Good News Centre this afternoon – it can’t be for the biltong because that’s all gone!

Maybe they are just officials.

Question Time is pretty boring today.

Housing and Local Government MEC Thoko Xasa says she paid bonuses to two senior managers for the 2007/07 financial year – one got more than R38 000 – despite the fact that the department only spent 87 per cent of its budget.

Perhaps the bonuses are one way of ensuring the budget is spent in the next financial year. Their buddies in Health won’t be happy they didn’t get bonuses.

What we did not learn this afternoon was how much motorists claimed for damage to their vehicles caused by potholes on the provincial roads and how much has been paid out?

Roads and Transport MEC Thobile Mhlahlo was absent and no one had been asked to stand in for him, prompting a distinctly peeved Speaker Noxolo Kieviet to tell Premier Nosimo Balindlela to take note of the absence.

We have just learned that Health MEC Nomsa Jajula is ill – nice timing considering she was in line for some heavy flak when he budget is debated this afternoon.

Funny, she was here yesterday!