Limpopo Legislature spokesperson Kenny Mathivha has criticised the Democratic Alliance's boycott of the recent Speaker's Banquet, and also refuted the opposition party's complaints regarding the alleged repeated absence of the Speaker from official legislature sittings.

DA provincial leader Michael Holford complained recently that gala dinners had become "an expensive and pointless bad habit consuming millions of rands and delivering nothing", and questioned the fact that legislature officials and others had been invited to enjoy free overnight accommodation when attending the banquet. Holford indicated that he would, during the next legislature session, be asking for details of the costs incurred.

The opposition leader confirmed that he had turned down 17 separate invitations to gala dinners this year alone, and had written to the Speaker expressing his concern about such gala events, in particular the dinner to launch an anti-corruption hotline. He said it was time people occupying prominent positions in the province were held to account "without compromise" in respect of these and other items of expenditure.

In his response, Mathivha said guests at the banquet included members of the legislature, Speakers from municipalities, traditional and political leaders. The intention of the banquet, which had become a tradition in the legislature, was "to afford all stakeholders an opportunity to understand what the legislature does and does not do", he explained.

Mathivha said the event was an occasion when the speakership reported back to the stakeholders - this year's address had looked into the whole financial year, interactions locally and internationally, and the public participation programmes of the legislature. The report-back by the Speaker had been well received, and the report itself was available on request, he added.

"The legislature is not an island, but part of a global village, and all members travel widely for study purposes throughout the year," he pointed out.

In the Speaker's absence, which seldom occurred, the House was chaired by an equally capable Deputy Speaker, and there had never been a crisis, as far as he could recall, Mathivha said.

"Holford must explain to the public when he received the Damascus turnaround, because at last year's Speaker's Banquet he was dancing all around to the tune of music".