DA covering up IPTS failure
IN response to Vernon Haley, of Summerstrand (“Dear Mr Galloway, I fully agree with you”, May 22), defending the attack by D R Galloway on Athol Trollip and Retief Odendaal (“Odendaal and Trollip must fall”, May 17), I am right behind you, Mr Haley.
No one wants to see sanity return to government more than I do. And the DA is the only way. But heck, these DA guys live on the edge, gamble with the fragile coalition and Trollip has a pretty arrogant streak.
No one will ever know how many votes for the DA he lost by going to court against Knight Mali and Lawrence Troon.
No one today remembers or cares what the issues between them were.
In politics people say and do ugly things, but let it be, that’s the game.
Going to court to sue somehow doesn’t wash with the image.
As far as my attacks on the IPTS are concerned, they are following in the footsteps of the ANC, now also worshipping the golden calf.
Regarding my letter, “The IPTS a misfit in the metro” (April 28), I sent copies directly to senior members of the DA.
Not one has come back to argue the matter with me, to say I am talking rubbish, or to go public with a contra statement or any response.
Instead they forge ahead with this expensive, ill-fated programme, in effect defending a major ANC corruption-riddled folly. Why corruption-riddled?
Consider that from the loosely brandished figures published by The Herald from time to time, that around R2.5-billion has been spent on the IPTS thus far.
Of the R2.5-billion, about R1.5-billion can be seen on the ground. So what happened to the other R1-billion?
Well, there have been two investigations, by Vusi Pikoli in 2013 and Deloitte in 2014-15.
Andrea Wessels and Nadia Gerwell made big headlines for the R24-million accounted to them (“‘Millions siphoned’ from bus system”, April 1), which came from the Pikoli report.
That accounts for only 3% of the missing R1-billion. Where is the other 97%? That must be hiding in the Deloitte report, which true to form was placed under wraps by the ANC, too hot to handle.
However, eight months into DA rule the Deloitte report is still under wraps.
Why is the DA not coming forward with the Deloitte report now that it has control? Why the secrecy? Consider, for example, now that Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown is in the frying pan over former Eskom boss Brian Molefe, her entire story, her defence and her affidavit is on the internet for all to see.
Incompetent as her actions may have been, at least credit her for now being open about it, more than can be said for the rest of them.
Why is the DA covering up, of all things, for the ANC?
Pierre Joubert, Port Elizabeth