Cape Town - The ANC in the province has called for Premier Alan Winde to come clean about details of a 12th annual year-end live-stream event hosted by the Friends of United Jewish Campaign at his official residence at Leeuwenhof in December, 2020.
The main focus of the annual event was to raise funds for the David Susman Community Foundation (DSCF) and to celebrate Jewish life in the Mother City, according to media reports.
But in a written response to ANC legislature chief whip Pat Lekker, Winde said it was not a fund-raising event and there were no costs involved.
Lekker had questioned whether the event had the aim of raising money and if so, how much was raised.
Lekker accused Winde of “ducking questions” about the event, saying they await a response on the cost of the event.
“The DSCF has as its description displaying ‘unwavering commitment to the South African Jewish community, Israel and the Jewish people’. Yet the premier says it was not a fund-raising event. Yet the Friends of the UJC said it was. The premier therefore either hosted an event he did not know it’s nature of, or he is lying once again.
“The premier in a written reply on events held at Leeuwenhof earlier this year said that before an event is held at the residence, a cost implication analysis is done. Yet he cannot tell us how much this event cost to be held at Leeuwenhof. There are always cost implications to any event held at any venue,“ Lekker said.
“The ANC is still waiting on responses in respect of private events held by the premier’s wife at Leeuwenhof in lieu of the organisations she is connected with or is a patron of. Again, these are cases where the taxpayer of the Western Cape must foot the bills of events held to raise funds for Zionist friends of the premier and his wife’s organisations.
“We have long believed that this provincial government actively supports the apartheid state of Israel.“
Winde’s spokesperson Regan Thaw said no funds were expended in the event.
“The statement relates to a parliamentary question to the premier by an ANC MP. The reply by the premier can be found for your information, which makes clear no funding was expended. Premier Alan Winde supports all local communities in our region and all South Africans,” he said.
Friends of United Jewish Campaign did not respond to questions by deadline.
Cape Times