DA wants mayor out, offers an action plan

THE DA is working on a blueprint to set the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality on the road to financial recovery and has called for the resignation of mayor Lindiwe Gunuza-Nkwentsha, the mayoral committee and all ANC councillors.

In a statement, DA caucus leader Chris de Wet said the municipal financial crisis (“Crisis stations”, October 20) had been predicted by the party (“EMLM bankrupt – DA”, September 25).

He said it was noted that Gunuza-Nkwentsha and acting municipal manager Mzoxolo Dingani had now acknowledged the municipality could not pay its creditors “and therefore essentially admit that EMLM is bankrupt”.

It was of concern that the ANC leaders had failed to take responsibility for a mess of their creation.

“They blame lack of staff, the strike, the amalgamation, etc. These are the results of lack of leadership, factional fighting in the ANC, financial mismanagement, lack of knowledge and expertise, wasteful and irregular expenditure, lack of accountability and cadre employment.”

De Wet said the areas making up EMLM had been under ANC control since 1994.

“Just as SA has become a failed state under the Zuma administration, the same has occurred at local level.”

He said the DA had warned over years that maladministration of the municipality by the ANC would lead to disaster.

“The management vests primarily with the leadership – mayor, speaker and mayoral committee. They are full-time employees and receive handsome salaries and other unnecessary perks to lead the municipality to the benefit of its residents.”

If the municipality was mismanaged, the responsibility rested with them and the ANC.

“The sad reality is that business and civil society can present the most wonderful advice and solutions, but without decisive, honest, effective and transparent leadership it will come to nothing.”

De Wet said the local leadership possessed none of these skills and was more interested in fighting for positions and benefits.

“The DA will fail as the opposition representing the residents of EMLM if we do not call for the immediate resignation of the mayor and entire mayoral committee. The corps of ANC councillors should take the blame for the mess and also resign immediately.”

Voters had trusted the office bearers to provide a good, clean, financially viable local government, yet “they have failed in their duty . . . and do not deserve to be councillors while the municipality falls apart.”

The current leaders were unable to manage the municipality and must be replaced immediately.

The DA believed the EMLM had the potential to become an economic hub.

It was drafting an action plan and consulting widely to find advice on how to address the crisis.

“The DA has vast experience of bankrupt municipalities and metros it took over and nurtured back to health.”