Stop wasting our tax money on court cases - Cosatu to politicians

03 November 2016 - 13:39 By TMG Digital

The Congress of South African Trade Unions on Thursday denounced the "wasteful expenditure of taxpayer’s money by public representatives on frivolous legal challenges". The trade union federation sent this blunt message after recent court challenges involving various government ministers - despite being old partners within the tripartite alliance."Our public representatives have become vexatious litigants‚ abusing the legal processes to defend the indefensible at times‚" Cosatu said."We support the sentiments and suggestions that all those‚ who are wasting taxpayers’ money in frivolous legal challenges‚ should be made to pay it back from their own pockets."The South African government under this administration at all levels has been a pot of gold and a boom for the legal fraternity. It has become a norm for government representatives to pay lawyers to go to court to fight matters on legally unsound grounds. Whilst‚ we support the right of individuals to exercise their right to make use of the legal processes‚ we do not believe that they should be allowed to abuse taxpayer’s money in the process."Cosatu said further that legal advisers‚ "who continuously give unsound legal advice‚ should be removed from the state payroll"."We have seen ministers and MECs using courts to stop settlement payments to the victims of medical malpractice and police brutality. The legal system is not a tool for politicians to hide their nefarious activities and for grey bureaucrats to hide their mediocrity and incompetence. We cannot allow our tax monies to be wasted when millions of South Africans are going hungry every day‚" it pronounced...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.