DA Leader will not participate in New Age Business Briefing

Following reports by the City Press yesterday regarding the New Age Business Breakfasts, I have decided to withdraw my participation in the Breakfast scheduled for 31 January 2013. 

I have this morning written to the Editor of the New Age, Moegsien Williams, to inform him of my decision and to set out the reasons for it. 

Yesterday's report, based on a parliamentary reply to a DA question, revealed that the New Age Business Breakfasts are sponsored by State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), using public money. This sponsorship includes:

• Transnet paying R17.5 million for 18 breakfasts
• Eskom paying R7.2 million for 6 breakfasts.

It was also revealed that the SABC does not charge the New Age for broadcasting these events.

I, and other senior DA colleagues, have previously spoken at the New Age Business Breakfasts, under the assumption that the events were funded by the newspaper and by the members of the public who purchase tickets to attend.

Now that it has come to light that the Breakfasts are funded by public money via the SOEs to the tune of millions of rand, the DA cannot continue to participate. 

These Breakfasts must be very profitable for the New Age, which is owned by the Gupta family, who are in turn vocal supporters and funders of the ANC and President Jacob Zuma. 

It is not acceptable or defensible for public money to be used to bankroll a privately owned newspaper, and indirectly the coffers of the ANC.

This is especially true when those same SOEs, like Eskom, are asking the public to cough up ever more money for electricity bills and train tickets.

This is another example of the how ANC cadres in business and ANC cadres in government work together to funnel money to the ANC in a mutually beneficial but essentially corrupt relationship. The DA will not be part of it.

Statement issued by DA leader, Helen Zille, January 21 2013

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