STATEMENT BY GARETH MORGAN MP

DA SPOKESPERSON ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS

The Minister of Minerals and Energy, Buyelwa Sonjica, has ducked a reply to a DA parliamentary question on whether she made racial remarks to an audience in the Wild Coast on 15 August 2008. This was following her awarding of a provisional mining licence to mine in the Xolobeni area, a decision which has drawn mixed reaction from local communities. Speaking in isiXhosa, the Minister was reported in the Sunday Tribune (17 August 2008) to have said among other things that “rich whites” were dividing the community. She allegedly also launched into a verbal attack on human rights lawyer, Richard Spoor, who has been assisting local groups in opposing the mining licence. Following this event, Human Rights commissoner, Jody Kollapen, criticised the Minister for playing the race card.

The DA subsequently asked the Minister in parliament whether the comments attributed to her by the Sunday Tribune journalist where accurate, and whether she stood by these comments. The reply to the question is peculiar since it is written in the third person. Parliamentary questions are put directly to Ministers, and their responses are in the tradition of parliament directly attributable to them.

The reply noted that: a) “Mr. Fred Kockott’s [the journalist] article is allegedly a translation of what the Minister said in isiXhosa into English. In this regard it is not

possible to say with certainty whether the translation was accurate” and b) “The Minister can at this stage neither deny nor confirm the translation version by Mr. Kockott”.

Minister Sonjica knows what she said at the meeting in the Wild Coast as the words came out of her mouth. The DA asked the question to the Minister personally, and her Ministry ducked the answer by saying that the Minister’s alleged comments could not be confirmed. If the Minister made these comments she should own up to them. As a Minister she is answerable to the public. For this reason the DA will submit a follow-up question to the Minister to give her a further opportunity to reply. The official who drafts the replies to parliamentary questions would do well to just ask the Minister herself to confirm or deny whether she made these alleged racial remarks. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: GARETH MORGAN 0725283910

QUESTION BELOW:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Question 1530:

1) Whether with reference to an article in the Sunday Tribune on 17th August 2008, entitled U Minister slams divisive whites”, the comments directly attributed to the Minister are accurate, if so, what are the relevant details, if not how did she reach this conclusion?

 

2) Whether the Minister stands by the comments she made at the actual event in Xolobeni on 15t August, is so, why if not, will she retract any comments?

 

Reply

 

a) Mr. Fred Kockott’s article is allegedly a translation of what the Minister said in Isixhosa into English. In this regard it is not possible to say with certainty whether the translation was accurate.

 

b) The Minister can at this stage neither deny nor confirm the translation version by Mr. Kockott.

Posted on October 27th, 2008
Filed under: Articles