Gayton Mackenzie coincidentally comes to town as ANC/PA/PDC/IPM opposition coalition submit MONC against DA mayor

25 January 2024

It comes as no surprise to the Democratic Alliance (DA) that Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, Gayton Mackenzie arrived in Bitou yesterday afternoon, shortly before the Plett Democratic Congress (PDC), a coalition partner of the DA since November 2021, notified the DA that they are formally withdrawing from the Bitou multi-party coalition.

This means that motions of no confidence have been tabled against DA Mayor, Dave Swart, DA Council Whip, Annelise Olivier, and Active United Front (AUF) Deputy Mayor, Mavis Busakwe, and will serve at the council meeting set for next Friday, 2nd February.

It is exceptionally disappointing that opposition votes are being handed back to the ANC in this way. This has been a pattern with many small coalition partners country-wide, who have abandoned the promises and commitment to good governance in pursuit of their own self-serving interests.

The PDC (once a loyal coalition partner) is signatory to the MONCs submitted, along with the ANC, PA, and IPM.

There is simply no moral or logical argument to partner with the ANC – this is the very same party that has doomed South Africa to economic-destructive loadshedding, committed grand-scale looting and corruption of state resources, and have allowed the collapse of key service delivery infrastructure where they govern.

The residents of Bitou only need to take the short road trip to neighbouring Knysna, where the ANC/PA coalition of corruption have completely broken Knysna, with the DA-led Western Cape Government having to intervene and help with the monstrous backlog of refuse collection at landfill sites.

Since the multi-party coalition came into government in November 2021, incredible progress has been made in the municipality, strengthening Plettenberg Bay’s claim as the tourism mecca of the Garden Route. From rebuilding the municipality from the previous ANC-led corrupt coalition and placing the municipality’s finances in a good state, one can clearly see the ANC and PA are licking their lips, eagerly waiting to get their hands on municipal resources.

From December 2022 to September 2023, the Bitou municipality was able to ensure that:
- 2.656km of roads were resurfaced;
- 1742 potholes repaired;
- 1112.79m square of potholes repaired; and
- 288 title deeds delivered.

This demonstrates the coalition government’s commitment to service delivery for all and created the solid foundation for greater progress to come.

The fight is far from over. Whether in government or in opposition, the DA will never relent in fighting for good governance and quality service delivery. Should our coalition partners betrays us at next Friday’s council meeting, the voters will certainly take note of this at the next local government election in 2026.

Issued by Cathy Labushagne, DA Constituency Head, Bitou, 26 January 2024