Politicians should never be allowed to forget they are representatives of the people and therefore always accountable to them.
However, this logic seems to have escaped North West province education MEC Viola Motsumi who ditched an appearance at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), which was meant to inquire about scholar transport in the province, for a trip to Italy.
Motsumi was otherwise engaged on the taxpayer’s dime to the tune of more than R1m. She, together with Virginia Tsotso Tlhapi, NW MEC for arts, culture, sport and recreation, and five other local government officials were taking in the sights and sounds of Turin, the capital city of Piedmont in northern Italy, known for its refined architecture and cuisine.
The delegation was there to support six South African athletes at the Special Olympics World Winter Games — all from Gauteng — who returned to South Africa on Monday.
As it emerged, the MEC had ditched the glare of public accountability for a chance to take photographs against the picturesque backdrop of the Alps, stately Baroque buildings and old cafes which line Turin's boulevards and grand squares. Her communication team masterfully posted an explainer video justifying her presence in Italy.
Motsumi said the education department had “learnt a lot, including the lesson of taking inclusive education very seriously” and “special needs learners must be acknowledged and recognised by other provinces and countries”.
Even more telling, she ended the video by saying she was grateful to the provincial government for the international travel experience opportunity. This nod spoke to her political allegiance.
Her silence though on the real reason she posted the video — to offset the controversy surrounding her absence at the SAHRC hearing — was deafening. She was tone deaf to the anxieties and realities of her constituents and the scholars.
The SAHRC’s three-day hearing into the state of scholar transport was in response to a series of legitimate complaints — with fatal consequences — involving state funds. It wasn't scheduled at the last minute.
Diaries had to be co-ordinated, venues had to be booked and logical arrangements had to be made to convene the hearing.
Last year Maselwanyane Primary School held a protest to demand improved transport services because breakdowns caused them to arrive late at school, which affected their academic performance. A portfolio committee on community safety in the North West legislature found that 21 pupils couldn’t attend school because no school transport was provided for them.
That Motsumi was a no-show is a huge dereliction of her duties and underscores her focus and her financial priorities when the country’s battered economy is under scrutiny
SAHRC chairperson Nomahlubi Khwinana said “the right to education is being violated” by the lack of reliable and safe transport and they had hoped to get officials from the education and community safety departments to account for the “systemic” challenges.
That Motsumi was a no-show is a huge dereliction of her duties and underscores her focus and her financial priorities when the country’s battered economy is under scrutiny.
On Saturday she alerted friends and comrades she was a “responsible public representative” and would appear before the commission.
In the same week finance minister Enoch Godongwana presented his finance budget 2.0 — because of the outrage and uproar over his initial proposed two percentage point hike to VAT to further bleed overburdened taxpayers, the irony of Motsumi’s trip is delicious.
Godongwana’s defence of his VAT hike would not be necessary if the National Treasury made good on its role in curbing wasteful expenditure. Instead, the authorisation of Motsumi’s Italian jaunt is yet another example of squeezing the tax base to allow fat cat politicians to squander our resources.
There are several examples of leaders at both national and provincial levels, thanks to the government of national unity, who have downsized on transport, personnel and housing to trim off the fat bloating the economy.
Leaders need to lead by example by tightening their belts and it is up to South Africans to continue to hold our leaders accountable every step of the way to ensure we don't end up picking up their bills for overpriced gelato and fancy pasta.
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