Fransman claims untrue

TWO ASSERTIONS in Marius Fransman’s letter (“Zille’s plan was to discredit”, Saturday Argus, November 9) call for firm rebuttal.

First, Premier Zille and ministers of the provincial cabinet have always engaged with people when they come to present their grievances in good faith, or request an opportunity to do so.

In March 2012, she accepted a memorandum from disability service and advocacy group Cape Mental Health, which highlighted the need for mental health care for persons with intellectual disabilities.

In May, the premier accepted a memorandum with grievances about school facilities from Khanya Primary School parents and school governing body members in her office.

On November 2, she addressed community members’ housing complaints in Crossroads. On Tuesday, before the official opening of the Mitchells Plain Hospital, the premier met community members in Langa about complaints concerning the quality of services and public facilities.

So Mr Fransman’s claim of nonengagement with local communities is absolutely untrue.

Second, Premier Zille did maintain decorum at the Saldanha Bay IDZ launch when she was booed and heckled from when she stepped into the marquee, before the formal programme started. The crowd in ANC T-shirts sang abusive songs and made rude gestures even before she started speaking.

She wrote the notes that Mr Fransman referred to while sitting on the stage. From past experience she had a feeling the heckling ANC crowd would not allow her to deliver her speech and was proved right. She referred to her spontaneously written notes only after she was shouted down. At no point did the crowd calm down.