The African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary caucus has denied seeking to use public money for ”unauthorised purposes” after reports that it wanted Parliament to boost the party’s funding.
”We reject with contempt the allegation,” said ANC parliamentary caucus spokesperson Mpho Lekgoro in a statement on Friday.
The Star newspaper earlier said a proposal that Parliament increase its allowances for MP activities was tabled at Wednesday’s multiparty chief-whip forum. If accepted, this would expand Parliament’s current budget of about R1-billion by about a third — or R310-million — for the ANC alone.
The ANC reportedly wanted R180-million for constituency allowances, R27-million for 27 parliamentary coordinating offices and R64,5-million for support staff and operational costs.
Also proposed was R3-million on security and drivers for MPs over 70 and R8,5-million on security for women MPs. Monthly MP monthly allocations of about R19 000 would increase to about R50 000, the paper said.
Lekgoro said the draft 2007/08 budget proposal was a product of the multiparty chief-whip forum aimed at improving MPs’ capacity in Parliament and their constituencies. ”The impression created by the article that the budget is the sole product of the ANC is grossly inaccurate.”
Lekgoro said it would be inappropriate to comment in detail on the matters raised in the articles. ”We believe that detailed comment will be appropriately issued by the chief-whip forum after it has had the opportunity to consider this matter.”
Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip Douglas Gibson said his party opposed the proposal. ”The DA does not and cannot support the proposals as outlined in press reports.”
Gibson also declined to give details about the chief-whip forum discussion, saying it was confidential.
The plan would have to be submitted through the various channels of Parliament and finally to the minister of finance, he said. ”It’s a proposal by the ANC which has still to be properly considered.”
Independent Democrats chief whip Avril Harding said the ”heavily skewed proportional division of constituent funds” benefited the ANC and DA but not smaller parties. Harding was not present at Wednesday’s meeting.
ANC national spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama on Friday described the issue as ”a fuss created by this newspaper” that has not reached the decision-making part of the ANC.
”It [the proposal] has not been submitted into the formal structures of the ANC. It has not reached the working committee of the ANC — we know nothing about it,” he said. — Sapa