ANC turns up heat on Alan Winde over 'secretive' US trip amid tariff squeeze - IOL

The ANC has put Western Cape Premier Alan Winde on the spot over his US trip, demanding to know who is paying for it, who he is meeting and what he intends to achieve while American tariffs continue to squeeze the province’s farmers and exporters.

The ANC said that while Winde had confirmed he was in the US, he had not disclosed who he was meeting, what mandate he was carrying or how much, if anything, the trip would cost taxpayers.

Winde's spokesperson Regan Thaw said the premier had travelled to meet economic, trade, tourism and investment partners.

"The US is the biggest source of foreign direct investment in the Western Cape, creating thousands of jobs across the province," Thaw said.

"Ensuring sustained economic growth and job creation is at the centre of this trip.

"We never disclose the Premier's itinerary through the media."

Winde said that if the ANC had questions about his trip, it should raise them through the normal parliamentary process.

The ANC's opposition leader in the province, Khalid Sayed, said in a statement on Thursday that the ANC wanted Winde to publish his full itinerary and programme, name every government, political and business representative he met and disclose who was travelling with him.

He also wanted the full cost of the visit published and confirmation of whether any flights, accommodation or transport were being paid for or reimbursed by third parties.

"This lack of transparency is unacceptable, particularly when Premier Winde and his government have repeatedly identified the United States as an important trade and investment partner for the Western Cape," Sayed said.

"If the premier is in the US to protect Western Cape jobs, farmers, exporters and businesses from the impact of US trade measures, residents have a right to know exactly what he is negotiating, who he is engaging, and what commitments he is seeking."

The US has slapped a 12.5% tariff on most SA goods entering the country, with the US Trade Representative saying Pretoria had failed to ban and enforce a ban on imports made using forced labour.

Trade, industry and competition minister Parks Tau said in July that some goods the Western Cape sends to the US, including oranges, limes, macadamia nuts and fruit juice, were exempt, while cars, steel and aluminium already faced separate US tariffs.

Tau said the national government would keep talking to the US with the aim of scrapping or cutting the tariff.

Sayed said the tariffs had put pressure on agriculture, food processing and manufacturing in the Western Cape, which affected exports, investment and jobs.

The ANC demanded that Winde explain what discussions he was having on tariffs and how they affected the Western Cape.

"The question is straightforward," Sayed said.

"What business is Winde conducting in the US, on whose behalf, at whose expense, and with what intended benefit for the people of the Western Cape?

"Winde cannot demand transparency from others while withholding information about his own international engagements."

Sayed said the ANC would use the mechanisms of the provincial legislature if Winde failed to give satisfactory answers.

"If Winde is in the US to defend the interests of Western Cape farmers, workers, exporters and businesses, he should have no difficulty putting his agenda and intended outcomes before the people of the province," Sayed said.