Deputy President Jacob Zuma has condemned the carrying-out of a witch-hunt against MPs allegedly involved in the so-called Travelgate scam.
Democratic Alliance MP Sydney Opperman in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon asked Zuma whether he could assure the House ”that no member with the Travelgate cloud hanging around him will be allowed to carry the message of moral regeneration on behalf of this Parliament”.
”I don’t know why you want me to discuss this. I don’t know. I am not participating in the investigation. I am a firm believer in the rule of law that a person is not guilty until he is found guilty by a court of law,” said the deputy president, to cheers from the African National Congress benches.
The deputy president told MPs: ”I will never participate in the campaign against people when they are not found guilty … if there is no evidence conclusively that says, yes, they have erred.”
He stressed that allegedly errant MPs cannot be dealt with ”in a witch-hunt”.
Parliament is to debate the issue of Travelgate next Tuesday following the alleged misuse of travel vouchers meant to be spent on air, rail and bus travel.
Vouchers have allegedly been misused for purposes of paying for luxury accommodation, motor-car hire, foreign exchange and expensive meals.
UDM wants the facts
Meanwhile, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa has requested Speaker Baleka Mbete to provide his party with a copy of a forensic report prepared by auditing firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers on the scam.
He said it is inconceivable that Parliament could call a discussion on the matter ”if the participating [political] parties do not have the facts to debate upon”.
He added a report on the actions by previous speaker Frene Ginwala on the Travelgate matter is also required for next week’s debate.
The debate — set by the programme committee on Thursday — was sought by DA chief whip Douglas Gibson. Reacting to the announcement that the debate will go ahead, Gibson said: ”I am glad that the Speaker has acceded to the request for a debate. The only way to regain the confidence of the public is for Parliament to be completely open about this scandal.”
The names of 23 MPs, including 19 from the ruling ANC, were handed to the Speaker and the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Joyce Kgoali, last week.
These persons are being investigated by the Scorpions for alleged involvement in the travel voucher scam. — I-Net Bridge