The Democratic Alliance (DA) leader in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Cathlene Labuschagne has described as unacceptable Finance Minister Tito Mboweni‘s unavailability to answer oral questions in the House on Tuesday afternoon.
This is not the first time that the NCOP has expressed concern about Mboweni’s failure to attend House sittings.
ANC member of the NCOP Yunus Carrim criticised the Finance Department for its officials’ absence in the NCOP in July when the House was processing the 2019 Appropriations Bill.
Labuschagne says Mboweni’s deputy is out of the country.
“Because the oral questions in the NCOP, as the rules require, are planned long before the time. It’s been scheduled for more than a month. And the oral question session is taking place this afternoon at two in afternoon.”
“This morning around, about after nine, we have got a WhatsApp on the Whip’s group to say that the minister will not be there as the President called him to the investment summit. This is unacceptable. The first priority of the Minister in this country is to be accountable to Parliament.”
