DA says Bhisho continues to block awkward questions to premier Masualle ...

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The DA in the Eastern Cape has claimed that the provincial legislature has blocked provincial leader, Atholl Trollip, for a second time from asking critical questions about expenditure for the funeral of former president Nelson Mandela.

Trollip claimed earlier that written questions he had posed to premier Phumulo Masualle about allegations that an amount of R250 000 had been paid into his account had been altered.

Masualle said previously that he had returned the money saying that the deposit into his bank account amounted to sabotage ahead of his pending appointment as provincial premier.

Speaking at a media briefing in East London on Wednesday, Trollip said after re-submitting the questions, that these had not been included in the question paper for oral reply by premier Masualle at the legislature's next sitting.

He says since "this debacle the Premier and his spin doctors have tried to explain the transfer of public funds into his personal account as a conspiracy."

"If there was sabotage on the premier's appointment, it implies that there was internal party sabotage. If the premier has got nothing to hide why is the institution of the East Cape Legislature blocking this question. I would have thought it would be the ideal opportunity to tell the public and to tell the legislature the whole truth about that transfer.

Meanwhile, legislature spokesperson, Velisile Bukula, says the said alleged manipulation of internal question papers is being investigated by speaker Noxolo Kiviet.