ID'S LANCE GREYLING SLAMS ANC FOR IMMORAL SWAZI INVESTMENT

ID Chief Whip Lance Greyling says the ANC front company Chancellor House's acquisition of the Maloma Colliery in Swaziland ‘has once again shown that the ANC possesses no morality when it comes to raising funds for their party.'

Chancellor House bought a majority share in the coal mine, which is co-owned by the Swaziland Government.

‘Is this the ANC's response to Amnesty International's call on the ANC Government to take action against Swaziland over the death in detention of Swazi political activist Sipho Jele?

‘It is becoming increasingly embarrassing to see the ANC's complete lack of morality and shame when it comes to not only making money off the misery of ordinary South Africans through the recent exorbitant electricity price increases, but now also by investing in an authoritarian regime,' Mr Greyling says.

The ID MP welcomed Cosatu's opposition to the investment by Chancellor House.

‘However, Cosatu's condemnation will probably have the same effect as the cheap talk that has come from some ANC Ministers with regard to Chancellor House's benefiting from electricity price increases,' Greyling says.

‘Talk is cheap and we are tired of hearing it. Unless action is taken, talk means nothing.

‘In fact, the ID would like to call on Cosatu and these Ministers that have voiced their opposition to Chancellor House's activities, to get behind the ID's campaign to set up an ad hoc committee in Parliament to devise legislation to regulate political party funding,' says Greyling.

‘Otherwise Chancellor House will continue to be a monster that is acting against every principle that the ANC supposedly stands for.'

ANC members at Polokwane also called for the regulation of political party funding, which culminated in a resolution to this effect.

‘The ID has repeatedly stated that these kinds of scandals will continue to be a feature of our democracy until such time that comprehensive legislation is passed to regulate the private funding of political parties,' Greyling says.

‘Unfortunately every attempt by the ID to ensure that such legislation is enacted has been resisted by both the ANC and the DA.'

Statement issued by Lance Greyling,MP,  Independent Democrat chief whip, May 25 2010

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