Andy Duffy
The charge of patronage politics resurfaced in the Western Cape this week amid claims that the National Party has spent more than R5-million of public money in a crude attempt to buy votes.
The NP-led provincial government has doled out much of the cash – extra social services grants to homes for the elderly and disabled – through the NP office-bearers who have the most to gain from the publicity.
Premier Gerald Morkel and National Assembly MP Hennie Smit are among the NP stalwarts who in recent weeks have publicly handed over “donations” to the homes in their constituencies.
The money – R5,5-million – came from efficiency savings in the province’s Department of Social Services, and was channelled toward the homes on the orders of MEC Arnold de Jager.
De Jager is on sick leave and his office failed to respond at the time of going to press.
Provincal African National Congress officials claim the NP is using public money for party political gain, and want the issue discussed in the provincial legislature.
ANC provincial leader Ebrahim Rasool, who held De Jager’s portfolio until his party left the provincial government six months ago, says the money should have gone back into provincial coffers, for more pressing needs.
“As far as we are concerned, this is straight corruption.” He adds that most of the homes are for whites. Unconfirmed reports suggest at least one home was told its extra money would be withheld unless it called a press conference to maximise the public impact.
But Morkel’s office has swatted the allegations, saying the public-cheque practice is acceptable, and that Rasool also liked to hand out cheques when he was in charge.
The ANC’s claims represent another skirmish in the province’s smouldering early election battle.
The ANC has been attempting to penetrate key elements of the NP’s defence in recent months, concentrating on corruption and incompetence. Patronage politics – throwing money around to curry favour with the less sophisticated electorate – is also a favoured accusation the party likes to lob at the Nats.
So far, the ANC has had greatest success bloodying De Jager. Last month it showed he had pressed his officials to give an extra R177 000 to a southern Cape old age home in which his wife plays a leading role.
Diane de Jager also chairs the southern region of the Afrikaanse Christelike Vroue Vereeniging, which runs a string of other homes in the province – all now among the beneficiaries of the money De Jager and his party colleagues are dishing out.
Morkel recently publicly handed across such cheques to the homes in his Retreat constituency. Smit, chair of the party’s southern Cape/Karoo region, has helped hand over cheques worth close to R150 000 in his area.
Provincial MP Annette Reinecke, chair of the party’s Blaauwberg region, personally handed over a cheque for R19 000 to one home – part of a R100 000 “donation” to the various homes in her constituency.
De Jager has previously denied the ANC’s
allegations about his wife’s influence. His story was, however, quickly holed by one of his department’s former directors, Fidelia Mafora.
She quit her job last month, claiming De Jager had made her life “a living hell” and that he had insisted his wife be involved in crucial department funding meetings.
“Every time a programme is submitted to him, his concern is with his constituency and his area,” Mafora told Morkel in a letter two weeks ago.
“I found him very narrow-minded and question his ability to represent the … rest of the people of the Western Cape.” Mafora is now a chief director in the national Department of Welfare.
Some provincial sources believe Morkel may use De Jager’s illness as an excuse to ease him out with minimum political damage. It is also understood that Morkel last weekend asked MEC for Health Peter Marais to probe the funding allegations.
Marais’s office, however, says he is merely looking at an industrial dispute at the home which De Jager’s wife helps run.