Gqeberha

Dear Editor

Yesterday, 4 May 2022, efforts by the ANC to remove the Executive Mayor of the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality, DA councillor Ewald Loock, and Chief Whip of Council, DA Cllr Ricardo Smith, fell flat.

This followed after councillors from the DA, Freedom Front Plus and EFF decided to remove themselves from a council meeting at which a motion of no confidence in Mayor Loock and Cllr Smith was set to be debated. The motion was tabled by the ANC.

The walk-out took place due to the fact that the Speaker of Council, Cllr Cheslin Felix of the Compatriots of South Africa (CSA), failed to arrange for the virtual participation of DA Cllr Danie Bezuidenhout. Cllr Bezuidenhout recently underwent an operation and is confined to his home.

The Speaker’s failure was nothing more than a ploy by the ANC-CSA coalition to manufacture a majority in council in order to remove Mayor Loock and Cllr Smith.

Dr Beyers Naude is currently a hung council with the DA occupying 10 seats. The Freedom Front Plus and EFF each have one. The ANC has 11 seats and the CSA one.

Council was able to host virtual meetings throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and this capability remains in place. There was no reason to not accommodate Cllr Bezuidenhout on a virtual platform as part of the meeting.

The residents of the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality deserve to have all of their representatives present when important matters impacting the future of the municipality are debated.

Mayor Loock and Cllr Smith remain in their positions and will continue to work to bring accountability, transparency, and improved service delivery to the people of Dr Beyers Naude.

Regards

Cllr Eldrige Ruiters
DA Dr Beyers Naude Caucus Chief Whip

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Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on National Treasury to physically visit the Enoch Mgijima Municipality to see for themselves the destruction caused by a failed local government. This follows the decision of the national government to place the municipality under administration in terms of Section 139 (5) and (7) of the Constitution, due to their continued and prolonged financial and service delivery failures.

While the municipality has already been placed under provincial administration twice, it is clear that factions within the ruling party and a distinct lack of political will at provincial level prevented any strict enforcement of the intervention.

This has had a devastating impact on service delivery which has effectively ground to a halt. Electricity supply is frequently cut off, roads have collapsed and clean drinking water is unheard of in many communities. Businesses have packed up and left for better opportunities elsewhere and jobs have been shed.

We will also insist that the following steps be taken to ensure that the financial status of the municipality is stabilised and that service delivery is once again placed at the centre of the municipal agenda:

• Regular and accurate billing for municipal services is reinstated;
• Money owed to Eskom is ring fenced and paid on a monthly basis to ensure that supply is continuous;
• Electricity and water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded to ensure constant supply, as this will retain local business owners and attract investors to the municipality;
• A full forensic audit into supply chain management within the administration, including the Bid Adjudication and Evaluation committees; to identify fraudulent tender processes and apply consequence management where necessary;
• A full investigation into the pricing of road repair and maintenance contracts within the municipality to assess whether value for money has been achieved;
• A full programme of road upgrading be implemented in both urban and rural communities;
• A full assessment of the municipal waste management programme be undertaken to ensure that all communities are serviced and kept clean; and
• That the municipality engage fully with all communities to ensure that their basic needs are provided.

National Treasury must continue to visit the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality regularly to keep their finger on the pulse to ensure that the intervention succeeds.

The people of Enoch Mgijima deserve clean drinking water, traversable roads and a constant supply of electricity. They deserve the DA difference because where the DA governs, we get things done.

Media Enquiries

Jane Cowley, MPL
Enoch Mgijima Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance welcomes the announcement that the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality has finally been placed under national administration.

The move is a scathing indictment on the Eastern Cape Executive and the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) that has failed to bring about the necessary changes since placing the municipality under administration in 2018.

The DA has repeatedly highlighted the challenges faced by this municipality, which two provincial administrators failed to rectify. Residents have had to deal with collapsing service delivery and political instability while debt to creditors such as Eskom has soared.

The ANC-led provincial government has failed its constitutional mandate, repeatedly doing too little, too late. The provincial executive chooses to turn a blind eye when it comes to distressed municipalities. They are far too concerned about protecting failed political deployees than servicing the people of this province.

Enoch Mgijima is just the tip of the iceberg. What about the Amathole District Municipality and the 13 other local municipalities in the Eastern Cape in severe financial distress and on the verge of total collapse.

Hopefully, national government will succeed where the provincial government has failed. The gloves must come off, and the tough decisions must be made.

We can no longer afford any holy cows if we want to build a capable state that delivers opportunity for all.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze, MPL
Shadow MEC for COGTA

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Dear Editor

The people of Sterkstroom in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality have had no electricity since 20 March 2022, and the municipality has shown itself to be completely incapable of resolving the issue.

On 16 March, the transformer serving the town was vandalised, and all the oil was drained from it. A day later, municipal workers added just 200 litres of oil to the transformer, which requires 1200 litres of oil for proper insulation. It is no surprise that the transformer blew on Monday, 20 March, leaving the town powerless.

The municipality blamed Eskom for the ensuing outage, but Eskom said it was a municipal issue.

Without first testing the transformer, or draining the contaminated oil from the damaged transformer, the municipality simply added a further 600 litres of oil, but this made no difference as the transformer had broken.

After that, a comedy of errors followed.

Municipal officials acknowledged that they had neither a testing kit nor a transformer to replace the damaged one. Eventually, they found a 5 MVA transformer that belonged to them, initially earmarked for use in Ezibeleni, but had been in Germiston for three years.

The municipality arranged to transport the transformer to Sterkstroom but then discovered the transport company was not on the municipal service provider database. The municipality will also have to make adjustments to accommodate a 5MVA transformer.

While the municipality staggers from one mistake to another, the people of Sterkstroom are suffering. Food is rotting in refrigerators that no longer work, businesses and schools are unable to function, and critical services have been disrupted. All because a failed, ineffective municipality cannot even resolve the issue of a broken transformer.

This is a disgrace!

I will write to the EC MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Xolile Nqatha, and request that urgent steps be taken to resolve this issue so that the people of Sterkstroom can resume their lives with restored power.

Power outages in the DA-led Kouga Municipality receive immediate attention and are dealt with effectively so that lives and livelihoods are not disrupted. This is because such breakages, though rare, are effectively budgeted for, and the repair teams on the ground are capable. They take pride in offering the best possible services to the people. Where the DA governs, we get things done.

Regards

Jane Cowley, MPL
Enoch Mgijima Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance welcomes the arrest of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM), Paul Mahlasela, on fraud charges.

Since his appointment last year, the DA has called for a full investigation in Mahlasela. The wheels of justice do turn, even if they turn very slowly.

The ANC must now do the honourable thing and insist that Mahlasela step aside until his case is finalised.

Mahlasela’s appointment as CFO was a prime example of putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. He has allegedly been involved in corrupt municipal activities for several years and has left a trail of financial destruction behind him.

He was suspended from the Nqgushwa Local Municipality for financial misconduct and left under a cloud from the former Lukhanji Municipality after the Supply Chain Department, which he headed up, was investigated for maladministration and corruption.

Last year, when he was appointed as the CFO, I wrote to the MEC for COGTA, Xolile Nqatha, to urgently request a full investigation into his appointment.

I further requested that all details of the investigations be made available for public consumption, but these were not forthcoming.

In a leaked Psychometric and Competence-based assessment, to assess Mahlasela’s suitability for the position of CFO, he was profiled as person with low levels of self-control; who will circumvent rules when it is expedient to do so; whose strong need to work independently is a risk when the work requires adherence to compliance and who is dismissive of authority.

The assessment could not be clearer. Paul Mahlasela was completely unsuitable for the job at hand. However, instead of facing the consequences for his serial abuse of the public purse, the ruling party did what they do best. They recycled him, and he was appointed to the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality to continue looting.

I will write to the Special Investigations Unit in the Eastern Cape to request that a full investigation be done into all financial transactions during his tenure. If any corrupt activity is exposed, I will insist that further criminal charges be laid against him.

While the wheels of justice have turned very slowly and at great cost to the taxpayers, we are vindicated by his arrest and trust that at last he, and other criminal municipal officials like him, will face the full might of the law.

Regards

Jane Cowley, MPL
DA Enoch Mgijima Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

The MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Xolile Nqatha, has finally indicated that his department will be intervening in the irregular appointments of the Chief Financial Officer and Municipal Manager of the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality.

The matter of the irregular appointment of Khathustshelo Lucky Mulaudzi as the Chief Financial Officer by the acting Speaker, Sibongile Victor Masawe, during a council meeting beset with issues, was brought to MEC Nqatha’s attention in February already. Masawe did not allow for the matter to go to a vote and refused to call for a division when the flawed process was steamrolled through council.

Later, the DA again called for the intervention of the MEC when the ANC-led council unilaterally appointed Mkhululi Whitey Mbebe as the new Municipal Manager. Mbebe is implicated in an investigation in terms of section 106 for maladministration and is currently in court for his alleged involvement in stock theft.

After continuous letters from the Democratic Alliance to MEC Nqatha, as well as several protests from residents in IYLM, it appears that headway has finally been made.

In a response to an oral question posed to the MEC during a plenary sitting of the provincial legislature last week, MEC Nqatha stated that his Department is investigating the Council procedures, in line with the Council rules, that lead to the resolutions to appoint Masawe and Mbebe.

MEC Nqatha said he has “dispatched a team of Senior Department of Officials to investigate all the matters related to this allegation and some with regards to the recruitment of Senior Managers.”

The Democratic Alliance welcomes this intervention by COGTA. The situation in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality remains extremely volatile.

If rogue municipalities are allowed to and continue to be a law onto themselves, disregarding the letter of the law and their own rules of Council, it will result in the abandonment of the very foundations of democracy.

In instances like these, it is vital for the provincial government to act in terms of their Constitutional mandate to intervene in local government, especially when local authorities continue to showcase that they are unable to handle their own affairs.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze, MPL

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Dear Editor

The ANC-Compatriots of South Africa (CSA) alliance has already started to show how little it cares about the financial state of the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality.

During a council meeting yesterday, the Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) and EFF took the decision not to send a councillor to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Conference in Cape Town. This decision was taken in an effort to save money for the cash-strapped municipality. It was agreed that, while important, spending tens of thousands of rands in travel, accommodation and subsistence cannot be justified right now.

The ANC, however, do not seem to share the concerns of the DA and its coalition partners and ANC Cllr Willem Safers proposed that his ANC colleague, Cllr Xolile Galada, attend the SALGA Conference. This despite SALGA clearly indicating that either the Mayor, Speaker or Chief Whip of the Council be selected to attend. This proposal was put to the vote and with the CSA Speaker having the casting vote, the 12-12 deadlock was settled in favour of the ANC.

This clearly demonstrates that the ANC and CSA have absolutely no interest in providing clean, accountable governance as they are willing to waste money that could be used for service delivery on unnecessary travel and entertainment. While our communities are battling to meet their monthly account payments, the ANC is taking their hard-earned money and using it to go on road trips that do not directly benefit our citizens.

Once municipal committees begin meeting, we will be reviewing the finance policies to ensure that when there are financial constraints, austerity measures can include curbing travel and subsistence for public representatives and officials for non-critical purposes.

The DA is appalled at this blatant abuse of power and wilful wastage of money. We will continue to work harder towards better service delivery and financial management, even though the ANC-CSA coalition wants to see us fail. Our commitment to the people of Dr Beyers Naude will not change.

Regards

Cllr Ricardo Smith
Dr Beyers Naude Municipality Chief Whip

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Dear Editor

The ANC-Led Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipal Council has once again shown they believe themselves untouchable, and the provincial government’s inaction is emboldening them.

Yesterday afternoon, during a special council meeting, the ANC unilaterally appointed Mkhululi Whitey Mbebe as the new Municipal Manager, refusing to allow the matter to go to a vote, or to call a division.

This, despite thousands of residents from Cradock taking to the street last week to protest against the mafia-style leadership of the IYLM, and threats of further civil unrest should Mbebe be appointed.

Mbebe has been implicated in a Section 106 report drafted under the Municipal Systems Act, and has a case of stock theft pending against him, which actually goes to trial today.

He has also been acting MM while municipal services have collapsed, with electricity outages, water outages and sewerage leaks becoming commonplace.

Mbebe’s appointment follows the acting Speaker, Sibongile Victor Masawe, unilaterally appointing Khathustshelo Lucky Mulaudzi as the Chief Financial Officer during a council meeting beset with issues just over a week ago, despite Council having resolved in January to never appoint Mulaudzi again.

That meeting, on 18 February 2022, also saw the municipality’s actual Speaker, Tembakazi Mbotya, held captive and intimidated in her own home.

It has become abundantly clear that the IYLM council has been captured and is being run by a Mafia-style cartel, willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that their people are in positions of power that will enable them to further plunder the municipal coffers and enrich their cadres.

The Democratic Alliance has previously written to the COGTA MEC, Xolile Nqatha, to raise our concerns regarding what has been happening in Inxuba Yethemba, but the MEC has chosen to turn a deaf ear to the plight of residents.

I have once again engaged the MEC and have asked him to intervene. His failure to act is a further indictment on the ANC and its utter contempt for the people of this province.

Provincial government’s failure to intervene is also a direct violation of its constitutionally mandated responsibilities.

The situation in IYLM is extremely volatile, residents are fed up with the uncaring attitude of so-called leaders, who are oblivious to their needs. Unless drastic action is taken, immediately, these tensions could boil over and turn violent.

The DA will continue to monitor the situation in IYLM, including the stock theft case against Mbebe, and will ensure that those responsible for the municipality’s woes are held to account.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze, MPL
DA EC Shadow MEC for COGTA

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Dear Editor

In 2021, voters in the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality voted for change and to oust the failing ANC-led government.

At a council meeting yesterday, the Compatriots of South Africa (CSA) again betrayed the wishes of their voters and sided with the ANC during an important council election.

When the election of a Speaker once again ended in a deadlock, with the CSA voting with the ANC, the position was decided by a coin toss (as per legislation). The coin fell in favour of Cllr Cheslin Felix, President of the CSA. Felix is a resident of the city of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

While the outcome of the Speaker’s election is extremely disappointing, what is worse is the fact that council was, for a second time, unable to establish any of the new Committees proposed by the DA. These being the Municipal Public Accounts Committee, Local Economic Development Committee, and the Corruption Committee. With the CSA’s Felix chairing the meeting, the proceedings descended into chaos and consensus could not be reached.

It will be extremely disappointing if this is the kind of council leadership that we will be subjected to by the ANC-CSA partnership.

The DA’s Ewald Loock remains the mayor of the municipality and will continue to work to bring accountability, transparency, and improved service delivery to the people of the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality.

Regards

Samantha Graham-Maré, MP
Dr Beyers Naude Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

The current situation in Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality has become extremely volatile. It appears that the municipality has gone rogue, and residents have taken to the street to protest.

It appears that the ANC has hijacked the municipal council, ignoring municipal legislation, council procedures, rules, and processes.

If there is no urgent intervention by the Province, it is feared that the situation will escalate and have dire consequences, not only for the council but for residents of the municipality.

Community members have taken to the streets this morning, to shut-down the municipality and town of Cradock from today due to these rampant irregularities that have led to the collapse or service delivery, especially electricity outages, water outages and sewerage leaks.

During a Council meeting held on Friday, 18 February 2022, on a virtual platform the Speaker of Council was held captive and intimidated in her home.

The events that unfolded were incredibly traumatic to all participants and continued for approximately 30 minutes, which lead to the Council meeting being abandoned.

On the same day, the Council continued with the meeting in which the acting Speaker unilaterally appointed a CFO, which the Council had resolved in January to never appoint again.

The Acting Speaker refused to allow the Council to vote on the matter and refused to call a division, the statement by the municipality that there was a majority ANC vote is malicious and false.

It is further extremely concerning that for the period starting 1 November 2021 to current, Mkhululi Whitey Mbebe has acted as Municipal Manager, although his appointment ended on 31 October 2021.

His extended stay means that all actions by the Council in this period are ultra vires.

The Democratic Alliance has written to the MEC of COGTA, Xolile Nqatha raising serious concerns around irregularities and recent occurrences in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality.

I have requested that the MEC urgently deploy a delegation from COGTA to visit the municipality and investigate several serious irregularities and concerns.

This type of mafia-style governance of this Council is trampling the very institutions of democracy.

The situation in Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality is serious and may erupt at any moment.

The DA will remain robust in its role as the official opposition in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality and expose any irregularities in this rogue municipality and hold those that are responsible to account.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze, MPL

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Fine examples of the Morris Minor will descend on Graaff-Reinet from Sunday, 13 March until Thursday, 17 March for the biennial Morris Minor National Rally, this time hosted by the Gqeberha Branch of the Club.

The club was formed in Gqeberha in 1981 by Gary Dodds, with the Nationals held every two years rotating between Gqeberha, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Bloemfontein.

The last one hosted by Gqeberha was in 2010 whn it was held at Cape St. Francis.

The cars leave their home bases and travel from all corners of South Africa to attend the Rally. This year, we have 50 cars covering the whole range of Morris Minors, with 90 participants.

The event will be based at Profcon, who are providing the accommodation with the overspill being accommodated at the Karoo Guest House that backs onto Profcon.

Events include the Concours with judging taking palce on Monday. Other events that will take place throughout the week will be a Boot Sale, Rocker Cover Racing, driving skills and visits to the Motor Museum who will run a Peoples Choice competition for the public. In addition visits have been arranged to the Valley of Desolation, as well as Nieu-Bethesda.

The last rally in 2020, was hosted by the Western Cape Branch and held at Club Mykonos.

The Morris Minor was designed developed by Sir Alec Issigonis and first went into production in 1948. The car comes in 2 and 4 door versions as well as a Traveller (the Woody), tourer (Convertible), panel van and bakkie. Production ceased in 1972. It was the first British car to have more than a Million cars produced. At the end of the day, there were more than 1.6 million produced.

The emphasis is on participants meeting each other, discussing issue related to the mark, and generally having a good time.

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Dear Editor

The president of the Compatriots of South Africa (CSA), Cheslin Felix, has officially reneged on the coalition agreement his party signed with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) in the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality. In so doing he has also sold out his voters by aligning with the ANC in a bid to give them back control of the municipality.

The ANC and Felix have made a pathetic and nonsensical attempt to blame the DA for the failed coalition. In fact, it is Felix who completely ignored the mechanisms of the coalition agreement designed to bring stability to the people of Dr Beyers Naude in order to further his personal ambitions.

In 2021 the residents of Dr Beyers Naude voted for change but are now being betrayed by the actions of the CSA.

Yesterday, 1 February 2022, at a special council meeting, a new Speaker was to be elected after the CSA removed its former Cllr Laughton Hoffman. Hoffman was expelled by Felix in order for him to take up his party’s seat in council.

The DA nominated Cllr Eldrige Ruiters, an exceptional councillor who has served the Dr Beyers Naude community for over eight years, for the position of Speaker. In an unsurprising move, the ANC nominated Felix, a Port Elizabeth resident who was not even a candidate for election in Dr Beyers Naude in 2021.

This newly formed partnership of power-grabbers would have us believe that their goal is service delivery to our people when their goal is clearly power at all costs. The election ended in a 12-12 deadlock.

A second special council meeting to elect a Speaker will be called for early next week. If another deadlock occurs, the new Speaker will be decided by lot.

In the meantime, the ANC must immediately desist from its ongoing harassment of councillors who are not prepared to put them back in power.

Unlike the ANC and Felix, the DA and its coalition partners are committed to ensuring honest, transparent, and good governance and improved service delivery. After 27 years, we know that the ANC and those who enable them are incapable of providing that.

Regards

Samantha Graham-Maré, MP
Dr Beyers Naude Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

Today, 27 January 2022, the Compatriots of South Africa (CSA) gave every indication that they have started the process of handing the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality (DBNLM) back to the ANC.

Together with the ANC, the CSA boycotted the Council Meeting in Aberdeen – thus rendering it unable to quorate. This meeting was called, primarily, to establish the various Standing and Section 79 Committees that a Municipal Council is required to have in order to render services. We are now entering our third month without any committees, which is a serious threat to governance.

On 23 November 2021, DA Cllr Ewald Loock was elected as Mayor. This followed the DA entering into a coalition agreement with the CSA and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus). CSA Cllr Laughton Hoffman was elected as Speaker of Council.

The Dr Beyers Naude Council consists of 24 seats. The DA (10 seats) and its coalition partners the FF Plus (1) and CSA (1) – with the support of the EFF (1) – took over government of this Municipality.

Last week the national president of the CSA, Cheslin Felix, a resident of Port Elizabeth and a well-known supporter of the ANC, removed Cllr Hoffman. Felix, who was unsuccessful in his bid to become a ward councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay, has placed himself at number one on the PR list to take up the party’s seat in Council.

The CSA based their election campaign on the need to rid Dr Beyers Naude of the ANC. Supporters of the CSA voted to remove the ANC – only to be sold down the river by Mr Felix.

The CSA’s support of the ANC will lead to a hung council and service delivery in Dr Beyers Naude will grind to a complete halt.

After only 60 days in government, the DA-led coalition is making a difference. Potholes, boreholes and sewerage drains are being fixed and the landfill site in Aberdeen has been cleared. Refuse collection and water carting have been consistent and illegal dumping sites have been attended to.

The ANC is attempting to get back its power through the back door with the support of the CSA, or to render the Municipality ungovernable.

The DA-led coalition will continue to deliver services. We will not allow power hungry individuals to destroy our vision for Dr Beyers Naude.

Regards

Samantha Graham-Maré, MP
Dr Beyers Naude Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

Yesterday residents of Somerset East, in the Blue Crane Route Municipality (BCRM), took to the streets in frustration as they have been without water for up to 23 days in December and no water for up to 15 days in January!

Somerset East residents have been without their basic Constitutional human right of access to water for 38 days.

There is no drought in the area, the dams are overflowing, and the Orange River supply is strong.

The Democratic Alliance is calling on COGTA MEC, Xolile Nqatha, to urgently intervene, and will also be laying criminal charges against municipal officials.

Residents and councillors in the BCRM have been denied any access to reliable information in terms of the cause of the situation, nor have they been given any timeline for resolving the problem.

Yesterday, when managers were confronted by angry residents, there were only excuses – vandalism, vacancy of critical posts and budget constraints.

No timeline was given for restoring the water supply.

This situation is a result of maladministration and mismanagement of the highest order.

The DA has again written to MEC Nqatha, to request his urgent intervention, and to call for an investigation into the conduct of the municipal manager, Thabiso Klaas, and the director of technical services, Ayanda Gaji¸ relating to the manner in which this catastrophe was handled.

In December, the DA laid a complaint to the Human Rights Commission regarding the ongoing mismanagement of the municipality’s water supply and requested their urgent intervention.

The DA will continue to hold officials to account and fight for access to basic human rights for all people.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze, MPL

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Dear Editor

The rural community of Middelburg has been left without water and electricity for the last three days. Tensions are on a knife-edge as the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) has failed to manage the crisis.

Since Sunday, 26 December 2021, the community of Middelburg has been without electricity. This extended power outage has come as a result of a broken transformer at Noupoort, which was damaged by lightning some weeks ago and has yet to be fixed by Eskom.

The lack of electricity has made it impossible for the CHDM to continue to pump and reticulate borehole water to residents. Boreholes are the only source of water to the town. This is the fourth time in three weeks that Middelburg has encountered extended power and water outages.

The situation has been aggravated by the inability of the CHDM to put proper emergency measures in place. Two water tankers were made available during the course of yesterday and have to provide water to an estimated 15 000 residents.

None of the backup generators for boreholes are functional and as a result of the electricity outage water supply has come to an abrupt halt.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Middelburg Waste Water Treatment Plant as well as the sewage pump stations, which are also under the control of the CHDM, have been non-operational for years. It is now feared that the lack of water in the system could potentially have serious health repercussions for residents.

This morning the Democratic Alliance (DA) made contact with the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Xolile Nqatha, and requested his urgent intervention. We also requested the MEC to source additional water tankers and to facilitate communication between the CHDM and Eskom in order to fast-track repairs to the transformer. The MEC has undertaken to immediately intervene in the unacceptable situation.

The DA has long called for the water and sanitation competency to be removed from the CHDM. The level of incompetence and neglect shown by the municipality is seriously compromising the health and well-being of residents.

We will continue to expose the incompetence and negligence of the Chris Hani District Municipality until national government intervenes and removes this competency from what must surely be the most incompetent water and sanitation service provider in the country.

Regards

Retief Odendaal, MPL
EC Midlands Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

The Makana and Ndlambe Local Municipalities are in the process of withdrawing their full lists of delegates of all parties to the Sarah Baartman District Council, which is Ultra Vires (beyond one’s legal power or authority) and smacks of political manipulation.

The DA has written to the MEC of COGTA, MEC Xolile Nqatha, stating that the activities taking place in the Makana and Ndlambe Local municipalities are Ultra Vires and highly irregular, and have requested his urgent investigation into this matter. The DA has further requested that appropriate action be taken as a matter of urgency.

Download Letter.

We will also be monitoring the IEC’s involvement in the process to ensure that they do not make themselves complicit in an unlawful process.

Legislation makes no provision for Local Municipalities to withdraw the entire delegation from the district council and makes no provision for the re-run of such elections. The legislation only makes provision for a political party to withdraw a specific person’s name, by written notice

These actions appear to be a move to fix political blunders, as the ANC was asleep at the wheel when these lists were first elected.

This follows as both the Makana and Ndlambe Local Municipality Councils are seeking to withdraw the list of district council representatives previously elected at their respective inaugural meetings, and to then re-elect all representatives to the district.

In Makana, the item brought to the council alleges the manner in which the IEC conducted the election “weakened the representation” of Makana to the district. Re-election would not strengthen Makana’s representation at the district level, as the number of representatives will not change.

In Ndlambe, the ANC gave a notice of motion for the recission of the resolution of council regarding representatives. The motion alleges that the IEC conducted the election process in such a way that there was no scope for Council or the administration to confirm or dispute the process.

In both cases, no objections were raised on the day, or in the weeks following the initial elections,.

It is clear that councillors and party agents of the ANC failed to adequately familiarise themselves with the process and the relevant provisions of the relevant legislation.

The DA will continue to hold the government to account and ensure that no actions fly in the face of the rule of law or our Constitutional principles. These actions are obstacles that must be prevented so that we can be focused on building a province of hope and opportunity.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze

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Dear Editor

The residents of Jansenville and Klipplaat, already buckling under scourges of unemployment and poverty, have been dealt another blow, this time by the Post Office in Jansenville.

Despite assurances a year ago by the erstwhile Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams (see here), that there should be no delays in the processing of Social Relief of Distress Grants (R350), Jansenville Post Office remains unable to process and pay out the grants of beneficiaries.

People from Klipplaat, after having received an SMS confirmation, used transport to get to the Jansenville Post Office, only to be turned away empty-handed. Unable to pay for the return trip, they are either stranded in Jansenville or forced to walk the 32km home. Jansenville residents return day after day, only to return home hungry and disillusioned.

Today, 7 December 2021, a petition from Cllr Mandy Deyzel, signed by over 500 residents and submitted by me to the Speaker’s Office, has been tabled in Parliament to be brought before the Committee on Communications.

The petition, drafted by the Democratic Alliance (DA) requests that an investigation be launched into the management of the Jansenville Post Office with special focus on the failure to pay grants on time. (see picture here)

The DA cannot stand by while the poorest and most marginalized people in our communities are abused by a failing system run by bureaucrats who do not care.

These are the people we need to protect and care for and we will pursue this matter until all the residents of Jansenville and Klipplaat are provided with decent services by the government.

Reagrds

Samantha Graham-Maré, MP
Dr Beyers Naude Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

The DA welcomes the election of DA councillor Ewald Loock as the new Executive Mayor of the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality.

Today, 23 November 2021, Cllr Loock was elected as Mayor at the municipality’s inaugural council meeting in Graaff-Reinet.

This follows the DA entering into a coalition agreement with the Compatriots of South Africa (CSA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+). The coalition agreement was finalised shortly before the commencement of today’s council meeting.

Cllr Loock has served as a public representative for the best part of 26 years – 13 years of which he served as the Mayor of the erstwhile Baviaans Municipality.

CSA Cllr Laughton Hoffman was elected as Speaker of Council and DA Cllr Ricardo Smith was voted in as Chief Whip. The councillor from the FF+ was elected to serve as a representative in the Sarah Baartman District Council.

Dr Beyers Naude will be sending three councillors to be representatives in the Sarah Baartman District Council. This will be one councillor from the DA, one from the FF+ and one from the ANC.

This coalition opens up new opportunities for the DA and its partners to bring change to the Sarah Baartman District by possibly taking over government of this district municipality.

A DA-governed Sarah Baartman District will see improved roads, economic growth, development of the tourism sector and better support in terms of disaster management – something that is desperately needed in this drought-stricken area.

Now, more than ever before, we are committed to serving the people of Dr Beyers Naude by ensuring transparent, corruption free governance and excellent service delivery to the deserving residents of this municipality.

Regards

Andrew Whitfield, MP
DA Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson

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Dear Editor

The Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality’s inability to manage its affairs is placing local businesses at risk of major financial issues. According to information I have received, the traffic department does not have the paper needed to print and issue motor vehicle licences and will, in all likelihood, not have this paper until 2022. This is, in part, due to the fact that the Municipality owes the Department of Transport R16 million in licence fees.

While ordinary licence registrations can be done at the Post Office, all new registrations and change of ownership transactions can only be done at the Traffic Department. This is having a massive bearing on motor vehicle dealers who are now unable to process the sale of any vehicles. At last count, motor vehicle sales in excess of R10 million were awaiting registration. Our local motor vehicle dealerships are having to carry the burden while trying to keep their doors open and pay their staff.

It is reprehensible that the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality is not only failing to provide such a basic, yet significant service, but, if the non-payment of fees to the Department of Transport continues, the Municipality is also at risk of losing its agency altogether. This would have far-reaching consequences for our residents, as well as for one of the Municipal income streams. The Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality can ill afford to lose any income.

We are already consulting with the Municipality but as soon as our councillors are sworn in, they will be asking for a full investigation into the matter with a request to ringfence licence fees so that this money is paid to the Department and not used for other purposes. We need to ensure that we do not lose the agency, which would mean that people would have to travel hundreds of kilometres to get vehicles registered.

While we await the inaugural Council Meeting on 23 November, this situation merely highlights how desperately the residents of Dr Beyers Naude need a DA-led government to bring stability and to implement a financial recovery plan. We cannot afford another 5 years of ANC mismanagement.

Regards

Samantha Graham-Maré, MP
Dr Beyers Naude Constituency Leader

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Dear Editor

Residents of Somerset East have been without water for 23 days, while the Blue Crane Route Municipality keeps everyone in the dark about the cause of this growing humanitarian disaster.
People are queuing to collect water from water tanks. Businesses have ground to a standstill, pupils cannot use toilets at schools, hospitals and clinics in the area have been affected, people cannot wash and toilets cannot be flushed.

Even the Eastern Cape MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Xolile Nqatha, who was approached by the Democratic Alliance to intervene, appears to be unable to get answers out of municipal officials.

There is no communication or transparency around the matter, which has brought the town to a standstill.

In some cases, water returns every third or fourth day, for an hour or two, before the taps run dry again. Even in these cases, residents have to rely on each other to know when the water is flowing, as no communication is forthcoming from the municipality.

Democratic Alliance councillors in the area suspect that the already compromised water situation in the town has been further aggravated by the recent loadshedding, which could have impacted on water pumps in the area, preventing water being pumped to reservoirs.

However, attempts to get confirmation on this from the municipality have also simply been ignored.

It has become abundantly clear that the ANC’s deployed cadres are incapable of providing the residents of Somerset East with their constitutionally guaranteed right to water. Worse, they simply refuse to be held accountable for their inaction and incompetence.

The DA has now written directly to the Human Rights Commission, requesting their urgent intervention in the matter and has called for loadshedding to be suspended in the town, until the water situation has been resolved.

A DA-led Eastern Cape government would ensure that the water starts flowing in Somerset East, by making use of the constitutionally afforded avenues available to intervene, and would ensure that those officials responsible are held accountable.

We would not simply shrug our shoulders and claim that the officials refuse to provide feedback.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze, MPL

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