DA mum on Oudtshoorn

THE DA’s top three in the Western Cape paid a whirlwind visit to the Southern Cape region, to thrash out the details for today’s crucial council meeting in the Oudtshoorn municipality.

DA Western Cape leader, Patricia de Lille, her deputy Bonginkosi Madikizela and DA provincial chairman, Anton Bredell, arrived in George yesterday, to deal with an anxious local caucus, left confused after their party backtracked on earlier plans to takeover the Oudtshoorn town council.

The move sparked claims of infighting among the DA’s federal executive, its provincial leadership and its Oudtshoorn caucus.

By late yesterday the trio were still locked in talks, remaining tight-lipped about their report-back session to DA councillors, or the decisions taken by the party’s federal executive regarding Oudtshoorn’s fate.

DA spokesperson, Liza Albrecht, said yesterday’s talks revolved around the agenda for the council meeting.

“Everything is going ahead as planned. They’ve decided on the agenda and strategy for the council meeting, which we unfortunately cannot reveal at this stage,” she added.

Albrecht did, however, reveal that a consensus was reached during the talks.

In response to media enquiries, the DA’s Federal chairman, James Selfe, said if the municipality is placed under administration, it would be a process that would be directed by government and not from the party.

But it was Selfe’s response to the DA’s takeover bid of the council that was most telling, as he hinted that motions of no confidence in the mayor and deputy mayor may not be heard.

“The party is still constrained by the High Court order that prohibits members of the DA and Cope serving on the council from bringing any motions of no confidence against the incumbent executives,” Selfe said.

Informed sources say the DA’s cloak-and-dagger approach to Oudtshoorn’s woes cannot hide the fact that there’s fighting within the party’s ranks.

“Not everyone is in agreement with the decisions taken. Sparks will fly in council and people will know that the DA turned its back on the residents when they were needed the most,” a senior DA member said. De Lille will attend today’s council meeting. Oudtshoorn’s acting municipal manager Ronnie Lottering explained that an intervention by the provincial Treasury was caused by the municipality’s failure to approve its annual budget.

Lottering said in the absence of an approved budget, all control of the municipality’s finances and payments were handled by province, until a temporary budget was given to the municipality. – Warda Meyer