ANC split: No laughing matter according to Nkwinti

Eastern Cape Agriculture MEC Gugile Nkwinti responded to the barrage of jokes about the pending “divorce” in the ANC after former national chairman Mosiuoa Lekota stated this morning that it appeared there would be a “parting of the ways”.

The United Democratic Movement invited any ANC members who wished to do so to join them while the DA suggested that the real reason for problems at an old age home in Port Elizabeth’s Northern Areas lay in divisions within the ANC.

Replying to a debate in the Legislature later, Nkwinti said: “Those who have read the Sunday Times will have read what the President of the Republic Kgalema Motlanthe had to say ... in the ANC there is always a tomorrow”. (Although subsequent research suggests this quote appears in a story in the Mail & Guardian rather than the Sunday Times)

To which Nkwinti added somewhat pointedly: “There are not many political organisations in the country that can say that of themselves."

Eastern Cape all at sea

THE United Democratic Movement’s Max Mhlati wanted to know whether Roads and Transport MEC Thobile Mhlahlo was planning to buy as boat this morning and if not why was the department advertising for consultants to draw up a maritime policy.

Mhlati got a laugh, although not from Mhlahlo who solemnly explained that he was not intending to buy a boat but the national minister believes that some of the functions of the national department should be delegated to the provinces.

“We have Port Elizabeth, East London, Ngqura and Port St Johns – we cannot ignore the fact that there is an ocean around us.”.

For those wanting to know if and when the R72 between Port Elizabeth and East London will become a toll road, there’s no news, Mhlahlo saying only that a study had been completed and was being discussed. “We would as a matter of policy want to toll the road because it makes business sense because then our spending on road infrastructure can be focused on different areas”.

Eastern Cape backs floor-crossing law repeal

All parties in the Bhisho Legislature this morning supported repeal of crossing-the floor legislation.

All the nine provincial legislatures must express their view on the matter ahead of the tabling of the Constitutional Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendment bills that scrap the legislation at national and provincial and municipal level respectively.

Deputy-Speaker Gloria Barry told the Legislature that the Rules Committee had met and discussed the proposed measures and supported them.

DA leader Athol Trollip said the crossing-the floor legislation had been “bad” especially as the electoral system in South Africa was that of proportional representation (PR) at national and provincial level, although he acknowledged that the DA had supported it at the time.

In doing so, he said, “we undermined the democratic wishes of the people of South Africa” and had led to greed and “massive opportunism” with people being offered financial inducements.

“Cheque book politics became the hallmark in South Africa”.

The United Democratic Movement’s Masiza Mhlati said that “at last” his party’s view had been respected saying the legislation had favoured those who “wanted to fill their stomachs at the benefit of the people”.

He said the ANC had been the main beneficiary.

He pointed out that the legislation had led to the creation of single-person parties that had disappeared at the next election.

The ANC’s Neela Hoosain noted that it was the then Democratic Party that had initiated the floor crossing legislation, adding that the ANC had wanted the provision that 10% of a party was required to support any crossing the floor in order to prevent the creation of a “plethora of small parties”.

What had actually happened, she said, was that “the identity of parties had been diluted”.

She said people should be encouraged to identify with the party of their choice but that this should be based on “ethics”.