No conspiracy evident
Terry Crawford-Browne covers an extraordinary range of conspiracy theories and anti-DA propaganda in a few short paragraphs, and offers not a single shred of evidence for any of it (DA must explain Israel link, May 23).
He casually asserts that Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s apparent refusal to sign a desalination deal with the Israelis, complete with supposed kickbacks, is what led to her fallout with DA leader Mmusi Maimane. He also alleges that this was a deal brokered by Maimane himself, before going on to suggest that the DA is not only a mouthpiece for the Israeli government but that its election campaign is funded by the Israelis.
It’s hard to know where to begin addressing these claims, but perhaps one should start with the obvious: the proof. As a former corruption buster, Crawford-Browne should be no stranger to gathering evidence. Which is why his complete lack thereof in making these claims says all you need to know. Of course none of it is true.
It is no secret that the DA governments in both Cape Town and the Western Cape consulted far and wide on a broad range of solutions to the water crisis. One such consultation was with the Israelis, but similar conversations were also held with the Australians, the Spanish and the Saudi Arabians. In the end, cost and suitability excluded not only the Israeli deal but also the local supplier.
The point is, many solutions from many sources were considered to help avert the water crisis. Only some were procured, based on size, cost, suitability and turnaround time. Despite attempts to spin the drought response as a DA failure, what the city and people of Cape Town achieved by beating Day Zero was nothing short of heroic.
This spin is nothing new though. The DA is used to its detractors dreaming up conspiracy theories. Christopher Hitchens was fond of saying that claims made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. In this case, there is much evidence for the refutation, but absolutely none for the claim. For us, this is all just desalinated water off a duck’s back.
Geordin Hill-Lewis, MP Chief of staff: DA leader’s office