AfriForum was on Tuesday granted an urgent interdict to block government’s R50-million donation to Cuba.
This after Department of International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Alvin Botes told a parliamentary portfolio committee in February about the donation. Botes revealed at the time that the money formed part of an initiative South Africa had undertaken to strengthen relations with other countries.
“I thought it is important that the parliamentary committee gets briefed about the fact that we have committed to allocating an amount of R50-million for special intervention purposes as it relates to the Cuban people, who have experienced food security challenges because of the sanctions by the United States of America,” Botes told the committee at the time.
The announcement infuriated many concerned South Africans, including the AfriForum. In an attempt to combat the “siphoning of taxpayers money”, AfriForum applied for an urgent interdict to stop the department from donating the funds.
In February Reiner Duvenage, campaigns officer for strategy and content at AfriForum, explained: “AfriForum earlier this month demanded in a lawyer’s letter to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation a written explanation and reasons for the announcement that government wants to make this massive donation to Cuba.
“AfriForum insisted that no funds be transferred to Cuba since no reasons for this decision have been communicated to the public. The organisation also demanded an explanation of where the money for this donation comes from and how it can be justified in South Africa’s current socio-economic context.”
He added: “The government responded to AfriForum’s letter, but the organisation is not satisfied with the reasons provided and will therefore proceed with legal action. The decision was made without any parliamentary review and without complying with the Public Finance Management Act.”
On Tuesday, Duvenage tweeted the party’s victory over the donation, affirming that AfriForum will continue to fight against the siphoning of “taxpayers money”.
“@afriforum today successfully obtained an urgent interdict against the government’s R50-million donation to Cuba. We will continue to fight against the squandering of taxpayers’ money,” the tweet read.
AfriForum is now expected to submit a review application to reverse the government’s decision to proceed with the donation.
BREAKING: @afriforum today successfully obtained an urgent interdict against the government's R50 million donation to Cuba. We will continue to fight against the squandering of taxpayers' money!
VICTORY IS SWEET! pic.twitter.com/qABLuVvV3S
— Reiner Duvenage (@reiner_duvenage) March 22, 2022
Also read DA MP Willem Faber fumes over R50 million SA government donation to “Cuba comrades”
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