ANC concerned about the state of Municipalities in the Western Cape

25 June 2018

The ANC in the Western Cape is greatly concerned about the state of governance in several Municipalities in the Western Cape. That the DA is in a state of paralysis is now well understood and is as a result of the party's battle with its Mayor, Patricia De Lille, who happens to be mayor of the Metro which is home to 60% of the Western Cape population.

Less known but no less damaging is that the same Democratic Alliance is battling with 4 more municipalities in the province, with Stellenbosch municipalities an added challenge where the DA is in a battle with the Council speaker.

The Democratic Alliance has taken a misguided and destructive stunt over the last few months to harass its Mayors whom it views as hostile to Federal Executives interests which are almost always not aligned with the interests of local residents.

The common thread in all these troubled Mayors is that they want to serve their local communities, with municipal contracts targeting local companies and employing local people and not FedEx aligned companies from outside. This is clearly happening in all Municipalities and these 5 have just had enough.

Knysna, George, Matzikama and Berg River Mayor's are all under siege from a party that has long used Municipalities as cash cows to serve party interests, leaving local businesses bitter with their municipalities and local officials resentful. 

The Provincial government, also under the DA, is at the center of this problem of putting pressure on municipalities to take decisions along party lines instead of serving only the interests of the local residents.

This leaves the ANC with one choice; to call on National Government to visit these municipalities and where forensic investigations are necessary, for those to be instituted without delay.

As the ANC we reject the DAs abuse of public officials who value their conscience and their people more than the misguided lobby group that is their Federal Executive.

Issued by Faiez Jacobs, Provincial Secretary, ANC Western Cape, 25 June 2018