Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentary Leader Mmusi Maimane announced that the party’s members will not be attending the official dinner after the State of the Nation Address on 12 February.
“We are wanting South Africa to focus on real issues, not a fashion show,” Maimane explains.
Chief Whip for the DA Caucus in Johannesburg Graham de Kock said that the decision was “quite understandable.”
“We (DA councillors) in Johannesburg sometimes do not partake in meals hosted by the City of Johannesburg,” said the Kelland resident.
“We often complain that they spend too much on food. It is not ethical to spend R300 per plate on councillors.”
He called the local government’s meals an “ostentatious use of public money” and the money could be “better employed elsewhere”.
De Kock added that residents would support this decision by the DA.
