DA fails in local government oversight, service delivery
MEC Anton Bredell serving DA factional interests
“WHEN it comes to local government, we have a constitutional responsibility for this sphere, and it is currently facing multiple pressures – from financial strain to service delivery protests.
“This government will be both a pillar of support and a fair oversight partner of local government.”
These words were directly from Premier Alan Winde’s State of the Province address speech of July 18, last year.
Over the past several months, this province has been in turmoil.
Regardless of spin from the DA, the stark realities on the ground tell the real story.
A case in point is the abject failure of MEC Anton Bredell who is responsible for municipalities to do his job.
Bredell is just not doing his job, but he is acting in a biased manner and carrying out the wishes of one faction within the DA.
There are several instances where MEC Bredell has been exposed to be serving the interest of the DA over the interests of the people of the Western Cape. Worse than this, Bredell is also covering up several cases of corruption within DA-run municipalities.
The premier’s own hometown of Knysna is experiencing disaffection with the DA leadership as new groupings representing ratepayers emerge.
George is an example of gross incompetence and negligence on the part of Bredell.
A matter so egregious that was raised as early as 2017, and where several laws were broken, the MEC failed to act because some of those implicated belonged to the DA’s Southern Cape cabal. It is this cabal that runs the DA at provincial level.
It is clear that premier Winde is beholden to this DA faction.
Conveniently, the mayor of George, who is allegedly corrupt, was made a scapegoat and is under investigation by the Hawks. MEC Bredell, again wishes to hoodwink the public by claiming the Hawks investigation as his initiative.
MEC Bredell should be honest, and admit that there was no other choice, as the dam he was building to contain the cesspool of corruption in George was beginning to burst.
Calling in the Hawks was a matter of self-preservation and political expediency, to present the public with an appropriate scapegoat.
MEC Bredell conveniently ignores the alleged corruption involving the George member of mayoral council for finance, councillor DL “Stag” Cronje and the highly irregular investment of R350 million George municipal funds in contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Forensic reports show that Cronje’s son was a beneficiary of this investment.
A total of five municipalities formerly governed by the DA have been taken over by anti-DA coalitions.
The ANC has won wards from the DA in Cederberg and Matzikama.
The ANC now has an outright majority in Cederberg.
This stands as testimony that the people of the province are beginning to see through the DA’s litany of lies and falsehoods.
The standard DA claim that only they are the purveyors of good governance has been resoundingly proven to be a fallacy.
Cederberg municipality is one that the DA recently lost. This is apparently an outcome that is unpalatable to the DA leadership in the province.
We can soon expect that the DA MEC will initiate steps to undermine democracy in Cederberg by attempting to have the municipality placed under administration.
Allegations of wrongdoing, maladministration, corruption and cadre deployment abound in DA municipalities, yet Bredell protects his own at the expense of the community.
The City of Cape Town, just this past month, was exposed again for underspending R2.4 billion of their operating budget, and R1.3bn of their capital budget, funds to be used for improving service delivery.
The auditor-general additionally found that there was irregular expenditure of almost R1bn in the City.
Is this then as the DA claims “A city that works for you”?
Drakenstein municipality failed to spend over R70m of Municipal Infrastructure Grant Funds, and in Overstrand municipality that amount is R25m.
These are some of the examples of the DA failures in local government.
Service delivery to the poorest and most vulnerable communities is being compromised by DA municipalities.
In his State of the Province address last year, Premier Winde promised fair oversight of municipalities. Bredell has failed him.
The ANC will lay a complaint with the Public Protector to investigate Bredell about his possible contravention of the Executive Members Ethics Act.
We call on Premier Winde to suspend MEC Bredell without delay.
Our province simply cannot afford an MEC who is failing to provide fair oversight of local government in the province and who instead, has allowed himself to be captured by the dominant DA faction and do their bidding.