ANC GAINING MOMENTUM FOR 18 MAY POLL
The ANC in the Western Cape is gathering momentum in its campaign for the upcoming local government elections. The indications are that the ANC is gaining ground and consolidating its support across all municipalities.
The ANC is mobilising effectively and the structures have been revitalised and focused on 18 May 2011 for the third national municipal elections, the ANC says.
In the rural areas the ANC is working hard and a number of DA controlled municipalities are vulnerable to be taken by the ANC, such as Theewaterskloof, George, Stellenbosch and Swellendam.
As a whole, the ANC is making gains as a result of the heightened campaign and grassroots mobilisation.
In the metro comrade Tony Ehrenreich is making a strong impact and is a real contender for the office of the Cape Town mayor. Tony's appeal grows by the day and more people see him as the better candidate for this position. Even his poster looks the best!
The ANC is consolidating its support in Cosatu as shop stewards actively organise the 280 000 Cosatu members to vote ANC. At the same time we are reconnecting and consolidating the base of the ANC across the province. The DA's delivery myth has been exposed as a lie.
Further to this, the renewal project has attracted many former members and new supporters from the ranks of the opposition. To date no less than 15 000 new members have joined the ANC from this quarter.
Many ANC voters are returning to the ANC. This is mainly ascribed to the ANC's new leadership team's better management of internal challenges. Many prominent leaders are also coming back to the ANC. The ANC is also regaining much of the 10% support lost to Cope in the last national and provincial election.
Initial internal surveys further show the gap between the ANC and the DA is fast closing. The ANC confidently predicts the DA's support will drop way below their expected 50%.
To win the City of Cape Town, the ANC needs 56 wards and about 750 000 votes based on the expected turnout. The trends show this is attainable.
Provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile says the DA's failure to deal with corruption and nepotism has added impetus to the campaign.
In Eden District Municipality Patrick Murray, Henry McCombi and Johan Koegelenberg were found guilty of offering a bribe of R20 000 to deputy mayor Anthony Ewert (NPP) in 2009 through a middle-man Deon Momdoe to vote with the DA. A recording was made of the offer. Nomdoe, a council official, was sentenced to six months in jail or a fine of R6 000 by the George magistrates court last year. But, the three are back as DA candidates!
The DA rewards and condone corruption as McCombi is number one on the list with Koegelenberg second.
In Swellendam the De Lille led DA/ID's corrupt use of the Quadrix Asset Management Company has been exposed. Many examples of nepotism by De Lille and her party are on record.
R8 million was transferred to Quadrix outside of the tender process which was disregarded. There was political pressure applied to transfer R20 million of council reserves to this private company that also manages the ID's levies and membership money. It clearly has a direct link to the ID.
The names of DA Speaker Du Toit Laubscher and acting DA Mayor Matthys Koch (not declaring interest in dealing with council in cars and land) are also mentioned in regard with irregularities and land transactions. Both are DA candidates for the upcoming elections.
The ANC will approach the national prosecuting authority to find out what the status is of the investigation into this municipality.
The DA and ID are preachers of anti-corruption, but show little commitment to that message.
On the issue of nepotistic appointments, the DA/ID uses the taxpayers' money to enrich those aligned to it.
If De Lille becomes the mayor of Cape Town, the residents must expect many family and friends to be appointed, says Mjongile.
ATTACHMENTS:
DA-ID nepotism
1. De Lille employed her son, Alistair De Lille, as head of finance for the ID in Parliament without him having a qualification or experience in this field.
2. De Lille instructed ID councillors in Theewaterskloof (TWK) to appoint her sister Veronica Paulse as area manager (senior manager position) responsible for Riviersonderend (without relevant experience, qualification or competence). She is now working at the City of Cape Town.
3. De Lille ensured appointment of her sister's (National Assembly MP Sarah Paulse) son, Shaun, in the Witzenberg's Mayors office as strategic manager and then appointed him in Stellenbosch's deputy mayoral office. The deputy mayor John Andrews who resisted, was removed and is still without a job.
4. De Lille's sister Cynthia Jeffreys was appointed sub-council chair in City of cape Town by DA.
5. De Lille also appointed her brother in law, Vern Jeffreys, (husband of Cynthia Jeffreys) as director in Western Cape Provincial Parliament. He has no experience or qualification suited to the post.
6. De Lille appointed the husband of her sister, Desmond Paulse, (husband of her sister Sarah Paulse) as her driver.
7. De Lille instructed ID caucus to appoint the wife of ID MP Jo MacGluwa (Nadia MacGluwa is a very close friend of Patricia) as accountant at TWK. Now in her MEC office.
In the case of TWK and Cape Town, these appointments happened with support of DA councillors.
The DA/ID coalition's corruption and nepotism in DA-led municipalities proves it has double standards.
DA/ID-run Swellendam municipality
In the DA/ID-run Swellendam the evidence before the Western Cape provincial legislature's watchdog standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) is that the ID gave instruction to the municipal manager to deposit all the council's reserves (about R20 million) in an investment company that has close links to the ID. The name of this company is Quadrix.
The DA/ID majority in council approved an investment of R2 million in this company. The mayor Jan Jansen forced the municipal manager to deposit R8 million and wanted the rest of the reserves to also be paid at risk over to this single institution.
The institution has an Internet link with advertisements on the ID's web pages and is the same institution to which the members' contributions of ID councillors are paid to.
The DA/ID fired a municipal manager who did not want to break the law to do certain illegal actions and suspended his successor for the same reason.
A number of party cronies were appointed by political instruction.
Since this evidence has been made public, the relevant party representatives officials involved were not taken to task and they are all still in their positions.
It is averred that the company not only has ties to the ID, but that party leader Patricia de Lille, now mayoral candidate of the DA in Cape Town, personally knew of these irregular, illegal and controversial deposits.
The names of Du Toit Laubscher and Matthys Koch (not declaring interest in dealing with council) are also mentioned in regard with irregularities and land transactions.
DA-led Eden District Municipality
Three DA councillors were found guilty of offer a bribe to a smaller party candidate in the Eden municipality in order for that member to vote with the DA on a matter. The DA councillors reverted to this deplorable monetary tactic as they could not get the control they desired through the democratic process or lobbying.
Patrick Murray, Henry McCombi and Johan Koegelenberg are accused of offering a bribe of R20 000 to deputy mayor Anthony Ewert in 2009 through a middle man Deon Momdoe. A recording was made of the offer. Nomdoe, a council official, was sentenced to six months in jail or a fine of R6 000 by the George magistrates court last year.
This matter had been made public months ago, but no real action has been taken since. At the disciplinary hearing it was said the DA leadership in the province months ago knew of its councillor's action.
* The DA/ID coalition still has to come clean on all these allegations of open corruption, nepotism and cronyism.
It is clear from the above cases that the DA/ID coalition is in a generally corrupt relation and that its leaders are aware of these questionable wheeling and dealing. By the leaders' inaction, the DA/ID coalition is condoning and endorsing nepotistic, illegal and corrupt practises.
When confronted the DA/ID in a few cases buys time (till after the election?) to claim it will investigate the matter. Yet, these parties pontificating on dealing with corruption, seems to be tolerant with its own and not suspend or eject those in question from public office.
Thus the DA/ID coalition is a party of double standards: One for other parties and a different approach to dealing with errant representatives in its own ranks.
The ANC has on numerous occasions called on the DA/ID to take action and prove it is serious when it says it fights corruption.
Statement issued by Songezo Mjongile, ANC Western Cape Provincial secretary, May 3 2011
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