Politicial parties' allocation blasted

EASTERN Cape DA finance spokesman Bobby Stevenson blasted Finance MEC Phumulo Masualle yesterday for allocating some of the local government budget to political parties in the legislature, saying this was crippling the department.

Delivering his fifth budget speech in Bhisho yesterday, Masualle said a portion of the R876- million Local Government and Traditional Affairs budget would be allocated to political parties represented in the legislature for the elections.

Masualle said this was in line with relevant legislation. But Stevenson disagreed, saying parties could only be allocated money though the legislature budget. "It is unheard of to fund political parties through the local government budget. That is done through the legislature budget.

"So this is an indication of the ANC trying to transfer money that should be there to improve the capacity of local government to political parties and we're dead against it – 80% of our municipalities fail to get clean audits," Stevenson said.