Alliance partners switch sides to ‘serve poor’

LOCAL government MEC Anton Bredell says he will monitor service delivery in the Matzikama Municipality after two of the DA’S coalition partners formed a coalition with the ANC.

At a press conference yesterday, ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile announced that the People’s Independent Civic Organisation (Tipico) and the New Generation Party (NGP) would enter into a coalition agreement with the ANC to cogovern the Matzikama Municipality, which includes Vredendal and the surrounding towns of Vanrhynsdorp, Klawer and Lutzville.

No party secured an outright majority in the May elections.

The DA held seven of the 15 council seats and the ANC six. The two remaining seats were held by councillors from Tipico and the NGP.

“The DA is losing the trust of smaller parties as they are merely treated as rubberstamps and bullied into supporting actions they do not want to, like the cover-up of ID/DA corruption in Swellendam where the ACDP was bullied to follow DA instructions,” Mjongile said.

“In Matzikama the smaller parties reject the DA arrogance and elitist bosses. They are now joining the noble cause of the ANC to serve the needs of poor and ordinary people.”

Bredell said the DA could not stop the two councillors, Jakes Botha (Tipico) and John Bock (NGP), from forming a new coalition government with the ANC. The first council meeting at which the new mayor will be elected was set for today.