ANC Criticizes Premier Winde’s Unannounced Trip to the US

The ANC in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature has initiated a call for an investigation regarding Premier Alan Winde’s failure to disclose sponsored travel to the United States in 2024.

This comes after it was revealed that Winde’s airfare for attending Climate Week NYC 2024 in New York, which occurred from September 22 to 25 of last year, was covered by the Under2 Coalition, a global coalition of subnational governments dedicated to climate action.

Although the sponsorship was mentioned in the Department of the Premier’s 2024/2025 Annual Report, the ANC argues that it was not recorded in the Register of Members’ Interests, as mandated by the legislature’s code of conduct.

“The code of conduct explicitly states that members are required to declare all gifts, sponsorships, or benefits, such as sponsored travel, to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest or undue influence,” stated the ANC leader in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, Khalid Sayed.

The party expressed concerns that this oversight raises issues regarding transparency and accountability within the provincial government.

“Furthermore, this failure to disclose undermines the credibility of the Department of the Premier’s Annual Report itself. The inconsistency between the political principal’s lack of disclosure and the department’s reporting calls into question whether the DA-led provincial government’s promises of clean and accountable governance are merely theoretical, while actual compliance is overlooked,” Sayed added.

The ANC has announced plans to contact the Registrar of Members’ Interests to formally request an investigation into the alleged misconduct.

The Premier’s office has yet to provide a response to these allegations.