Investigate fast food premier - Cope

09/09/2013. Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa with Chief Executive of SANParks Dr David Mabunda, Northen Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas and FNB CEO of Public Sector Danny Zandamela during the openning of the National Park Week at Mokala National Park outside Kimberly. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

09/09/2013. Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa with Chief Executive of SANParks Dr David Mabunda, Northen Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas and FNB CEO of Public Sector Danny Zandamela during the openning of the National Park Week at Mokala National Park outside Kimberly. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

Published Sep 17, 2013

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Kimberley - Cope in the Northern Cape has requested Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to investigate the misuse of a government-issued credit card by Premier Sylvia Lucas.

Cope provincial leader, Fred Wyngaard, said that Lucas should “hang her head in shame” due to the “shocking abuse of government resources” in the latest credit card for fast food scandal.

He added that 55 percent of the population in the Province lived in abject poverty while 33 percent of children experienced severe hunger on a daily basis.

“It is the constitutional responsibility of the premier to provide for poor and hungry people of the province and not just care about her own stomach. She gets an enormous salary as well as a travel stipend to provide for her needs,” Wyngaard said.

“It is a slap in the face of the poor, when the premier blatantly says. ‘How would we have eaten if we didn’t use taxpayers’ money?’ Some of the charges incurred on the credit card shows that she has been buying her own groceries and charging it to taxpayers.”

Wyngaard added that this scandal had tarnished the image of government officials, who tried to portray themselves as a responsible and caring ruling party.

“There is a tendency in this province that the ruling party uses taxpayers’ money to throw lavish parties, instead of providing much-needed services to all communities.”

He added that the Office of the Premier had a history of abusing state funds.

“Since 2009, expenditure on travel and subsistence by the Office of the Premier has increased by a staggering 143 percent.

“In the Department of Education, expenditure on entertainment in the Office of the MEC alone increased with a shocking 225 percent between 2009 and 2013.”

Wyngaard indicated that between 2009 and 2013 spending on entertainment, catering, travel and subsistence by the provincial government had increased by more than 50 percent.

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