Thomas Johnson - The Blog

The DA’s Pieter Van Dalen referred the illegal R5bn sale of fuel reserves to Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu for allegedly contravening the PFMA.   In his statement on 26 May 2016 he said: “The DA will continue to fight for taxpayers’ money that needs to be accountable, transparent, well managed and aimed at growing the economy in order to reduce the appalling number of 8.9 million jobless South Africans.” The DA puts its money where its mouth is.   With the thanks of a grateful nation, it fights lengthy and costly legal battles on our behalf against ANC and government graft and mismanagement.   Their concern about the misuse of state resources for taxpayers’ money is well-established.   For example, recently DA leader Mmusi Maimane wanted reasons why Nkandla’s architect Minenhle Makhanya would not be investigated after ‘blowing R155 million on Nkandla’. However, recently I wrote that in the only city and province where it governs – Cape Town and W...

This is part 3 of the series 'Cape Town Stadium: World Cup to White Elephant'. The true cost of the stadium the city does not want us to know Annual costs of stadium  Six weeks after I first asked mayco member for events Garreth Bloor, the city finally denied my numerous requests for Cape Town Stadium’s expenditure and answers about its cost, management and future plans. On Friday June 17 chief financial officer Kevin Jacoby told me in an email he personally was in charge of all aspects of stadium management, and the information I wanted was ‘simply not available’. The following day, in response to my email requesting reasons, he said they will not give me any information.  As to my suggestion of a few days before that I ‘ may’ – note the conditionality – make a PAIA application if the information – by then six weeks after I first asked – was still not forthcoming, he irrationally and contemptuously suggested I make a PAIA appl...