DA calls out ‘blacks only’ leasing policy

The DA in the Eastern Cape has lambasted what it called a race-based policy for office leases, saying it could be a smokescreen to give tenders to the politically connected.

The Herald reported yesterday that during public works MEC Babalo Madikizela’s policy speech he said the department wanted to lease office spaces from 100% black-owned companies.

He said the department was looking for 22 office spaces.

DA MPL Vicky Knoetze said the decision was unconstitutional and possibly nothing more than a smokescreen to enrich politically connected individuals.

Knoetze said the province should give preference to Eastern Cape-owned, managed and controlled landlords.

“The DA also supports the notion that the government must stake steps to redress the divisions of the past, but this cannot be done by simply excluding a portion of the population,” Knoetze said.

She said the DA believed SA needed a radically different approach to redress.

Excluding individuals from even tendering for contracts, based on race, was in direct contravention of the equality clause of the constitution, she said.

“What is most concerning, however, is the motivation behind the announcement and the DA will be keeping a hawk’s eye view on who will be getting these leases.”

Knoetze said the MEC needed to be focusing on projects such as the Bhisho Precinct, which would reduce the need for office rentals for several departments altogether, freeing up capital that could be redirected to service delivery.

“This project, which has already cost taxpayers more than R50m, has been dragging on for years and is still nowhere near finalisation,” Knoetze said.

“The DA demands that MEC Madikizela must amend the leasing policy to be in line with the constitution, and ensure that the tenders are accessible to all,” she said.