DA accuses ANC of ‘dirty tricks’ in N West town
A MAJOR political battle is looming between the ANC and DA in the small North West town of Schweizer-Reneke ahead of fresh local government elections next month, following the dissolution of the ANC-controlled municipality in October.
North West MEC for local government and human settlements Mothibedi Kegakilwe successfully petitioned the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosana Dlamini Zuma and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to dissolve the Mamusa Municipality over alleged infighting by ANC members and officials over council resources and tenders.
Dlamini Zuma and the NCOP endorsed the proposal, which set in motion preparations by the IEC for fresh elections on January 15.
But the DA has cried foul about the North West provincial government and Kegakilwe’s decision to choose the election campaign period to issue title deeds and food parcels to povertystricken communities in SchweizerReneke.
DA North West leader Joe McGluwa said Kegakilwe and other MECs’ visits to Mamusa township in Ipelegeng was “nothing short of abusing the powers and services of the state in pursuit of a party political agenda”.
“The ANC government in Mamusa and North West as a whole have deliberately been neglecting the people.
“These facts are corroborated by the five consecutive disclaimer annual audit outcomes in which the auditor-general could not assess the financial situation of the municipality,” McGluwa said.
He added: “We cannot ignore the fact that it is as a result of the ANC’s poor governance and penchant for fraud and corruption that has led to the dissolution of Mamusa.”
The DA was irked after Kegakilwe’s office posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday that they had delivered title deeds to Mama Letsholo, 97, and Mama Leeuw, 87. The officials also revealed that Kegakilwe had introduced a developer to the community of Ipelegeng who is going to continue to develop all the previous council’s stalled projects.
An angry McGluwa said: “It is a disgrace that the ANC waits until an election to window dress service delivery. In between elections, ordinary people live in dysfunctional municipalities like Mamusa, where basic service delivery is non-existent. Communities are regularly forced to endure long periods without water supply.”