DA writes to speaker of the National Assembly because Mbeki ignores their questions

By Ilhaam Hoosain
05 November 2007

The Democratic Alliance has written to Baleka Mbete asking her to urge President Thabo Mbeki to answer parliamentary questions that they have admitted to him this year.

“We are worried that President Mbeki is not answering our written parliamentary questions. We have asked him a number of questions on wide ranging issues of national importance and some of these questions have been on the order paper for at least five months,” says DA spokesperson Martin Slabbert.

The President is constitutionally required to account to parliament and he must answer parliamentary questions admitted to his office according to Slabbert.

The following are the issue the questions addressed:

· Whether he was aware of Manto Tshabalal-Msimang’s criminal conviction when he appointed her;
· The status of the Donen Commission of Enquiry’s report into the UN Oil-for-Food programme;
· Whether Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi still has his full confidence;
· About remarks he allegedly made about Zimbabwe during a recent SADC meeting;
· The nature and extent of government’s transformation programme;
· Chancellor House; and
· The Land Banks problem.