Speaker 1: So let's turn now to DA national spokesperson Villy Ocamp.
Speaker 1: Mister Oakump, welcome and thanks very much for your time.
Speaker 1: I have in front of me obviously the President's statement.
Speaker 1: I also have the text of John sten Hazen's words
Speaker 1: to Parliament. I'm struck by this. The President says that
Speaker 1: when he met with John sten Hazen, he had indicated
Speaker 1: clearly that he would look for the DA to put
Speaker 1: forward a replacement for mister Whitfield. In other words, the
Speaker 1: DA would not be losing this position. I'm curious as
Speaker 1: to why mister steen Hazen didn't include that in his
Speaker 1: account to Parliament, and indeed in his account to the country.
Speaker 1: It's an important detail. Why was it left out?
Speaker 2: Good afternoon, John John. With regards to the why was
Speaker 2: he left out? I cannot answer you on that, but
Speaker 2: I can tell you this that this is creating a
Speaker 2: very dangerous president and maybe this.
Speaker 1: Is the Sorry, mister Oakamp, I really need you to
Speaker 1: engage with the question. Even if you can't answer what
Speaker 1: was in John steen Haysen's mind, at least give us
Speaker 1: your view on the significance of the omission.
Speaker 2: Well, John, let me explain this to you and maybe
Speaker 2: you will understand when you hear what I've got to
Speaker 2: say with regards to this. John Steynasen is very aggrieved
Speaker 2: by this because this can create a very dangerous president
Speaker 2: tomorrow or next week or next month. The president can
Speaker 2: come and can decide, well, now I'm firing Dean McPherson,
Speaker 2: Now I'm firing sho with Wahube or any of the
Speaker 2: other deputy ministers or Minissa's from the Democratic Alliance. And
Speaker 2: therefore it is not important. The fact that we can
Speaker 2: now appoint another DA person to that portfolio is not
Speaker 2: important at all when you compare it to Manissa's having
Speaker 2: to carry out their duties when they've got this ax
Speaker 2: behind them next all the time. So it's very important
Speaker 2: that we see that into the perspective of having to
Speaker 2: having the right to point another person from the Democratic
Speaker 2: Alliance aside. That is true, no doubt, I mean, that
Speaker 2: is non negotiable, but he should not be done under
Speaker 2: the circumstances like this.
Speaker 1: What aspect of the circumstances are you as the DA
Speaker 1: grieved about because the statement from the presidents, he says,
Speaker 1: it was made very clear to everybody in cabinet that
Speaker 1: you may not travel without permission from the President. Andrew
Speaker 1: Whitfield chose to do that, perhaps not fully cognizant of
Speaker 1: the fact that he was now no longer just the
Speaker 1: DA leader in the Eastern Cape. It was member of
Speaker 1: the executive by the way, let me put this to you.
Speaker 1: In addition, mister Oakom, it wasn't just any trip. The
Speaker 1: context was a very very tense situation where other people
Speaker 1: from political actors from South Africa were visiting Washington.
Speaker 2: D C.
Speaker 1: Surely saw the implications of that.
Speaker 2: Well. Mister Whitfield did write a letter to the President
Speaker 2: when he returned and learned that the President is not
Speaker 2: happy with this. He wrote a letter to the President
Speaker 2: in which he apologized if it caused any inconvenience to
Speaker 2: the President. That letter also, by the way, he has
Speaker 2: not received any reply to from the President, just as
Speaker 2: Vincent mcgwena could not now tell you why the President
Speaker 2: did not answer his initial application. So mister Whitfield did apologize.
Speaker 2: I think it might have been a mistake on his
Speaker 2: part to think, well, maybe I can go. But it
Speaker 2: needs to be put on record that since the only
Speaker 2: twelve of February, Andrew Whitfield wrote to the President ten
Speaker 2: days thereafter, he has still not received an answer, and
Speaker 2: he followed up with the presidency on a daily basis.
Speaker 2: So one needs to answer the question, and Vincent macgwenha
Speaker 2: tried to duck and dive that answer, and that is
Speaker 2: why didn't the President just say, well, I do not
Speaker 2: give you permission.
Speaker 1: So, mister, what did he apologize for? Because you said
Speaker 1: if this caused any inconvenience, which is extremely vague. Did
Speaker 1: he apologize and say I recognize that I broke rules
Speaker 1: that were made clear to me in my induction process
Speaker 1: and subsequently in other engagements. Or did he say, well,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry if I've caused an inconvenience, Because that are
Speaker 1: two very different things. What did he say in his apology?
Speaker 2: John, I did not read the apology letter. I must
Speaker 2: be honest with you in that regard, so I can't
Speaker 2: tell you exactly what was said. The fact is that
Speaker 2: he did apologize. So whether the apology was a very
Speaker 2: broad apology or a narrow apology admitting to exactly what
Speaker 2: he did wrong, I cannot tell you that. But the
Speaker 2: mere fact that he gave an apology to the president,
Speaker 2: and remember that was done four months ago. So why
Speaker 2: in four months time. When the President received this letter,
Speaker 2: he could have immediately this most team. If you wanted to,
Speaker 2: why wait four months? I can tell you why it was.
Speaker 2: Why they've waited four months. Look at the word that
Speaker 2: Andrew Whitfield is doing in that department. Look at the
Speaker 2: awarding of the standard of more than sixty billion rand
Speaker 2: at the lottery commission that was awarded to the sister
Speaker 2: in law of our Deputy President. I can tell you
Speaker 2: that they are afraid of the questions that he would
Speaker 2: have asked as the deputy Minister with regards to that contract.
Speaker 1: So just watching the clock a little bit, mester, Oh come,
Speaker 1: what can you tell us about what the DA is
Speaker 1: likely to announce by way of its decision tomorrow? Has
Speaker 1: the party made up its mind what it does next?
Speaker 2: No, the party has not yet. We our Federal Executive
Speaker 2: will convene tomorrow. We will discuss the situation, look at
Speaker 2: everything that transpired, and we will make an informed decision
Speaker 2: which we will then convey to the public tomorrow afternoon
Speaker 2: three o'clock in a press briefing that will take place
Speaker 2: in Cape Town that has been announced to the public already.
Speaker 1: Philly, Oh come, thank you, DA National spokesperson twenty five
Speaker 1: minutes past five