Failing Gauteng ANC propping up VBS Mayors

13 December 2018

Both the Mayors of Merafong Local Municipality, Cllr Maphefo Letsie , and the West Rand District Municipality, Cllr Boyce Maneli, remain in their positions despite the fact that these failing, ANC-run municipalities illegally invested in excess of R100-million of public funds with VBS bank. This despite the fact that in both Limpopo and the North West, dozens of Mayors were fired over the same matter in the last week.

Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy, who also serves on the NEC and NWC of the ANC, has been deflecting holding anyone accountable on these matters since the DA first raised it with her in early 2018, and has continued to avoid pronouncing on the matter, insisting on awaiting the outcome of a drawn out, protracted forensic investigation.

Premier David Makhura has steered clear of addressing the VBS matter altogether. Creecy and Makhura have a constitutional obligation in terms of section 139 of the Constitution, when local governments flout the law, which they are refusing to exercise.

It appears that the failing Gauteng ANC have a deeply entrenched culture of protecting their own members at all costs – the Gauteng ANC refused to remove scandal ridden Quedani Mahlangu and Brian Hlongwa from their PEC until the ANC NWC requested these individuals resign. Creecy and Makhura seem determined to prop up and protect VBS mayors and dozens of dodgy ANC members in Gauteng in order to protect their own positions and internal ANC constituencies for party political reasons, at the expense of the people of Gauteng – even if it means neglecting their constitutional duty.

A DA government in Gauteng will not hesitate to hold VBS mayors to account, and exercise all constitutional obligations afforded to a provincial government to achieve this. Only a DA government in Gauteng will be able to cut the systemic corruption that the ANC has created in Gauteng’s local municipalities and deliver change that will ensure public money is invested in speeding up service delivery in these failing ANC municipalities.

The DA will be tabling questions to both MEC Creecy and Premier Makhura in regards to their failure to act on their VBS mayors when other Provinces have fired their VBS mayors.

Issued by Ashor Sarupen, DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance, 13 December 2018