17 November 2023

Asked to hold the DA-led City of Cape Town accountable for serious unlawful activities on various occasions in 2020 and 2021, Western Cape MEC Anton Bredell, a DA leader, developed a standard non-response to my written parliamentary questions.

His response was: “The City of Cape Town maintains that parliamentary questions are intended to hold the executive accountable for their official decisions and actions and cannot be used to hold local government accountable for its decisions and actions.”

He declined to investigate any of the allegations.

But what’s good for DA-led Cape Town isn’t good for non DA-led Theewaterskloof Municipality. 

According to media reports today, Bredell intends investigating allegations made by members of his party relating to recent overseas travel by the Theewaterskloof Deputy Mayor, a member of GOOD, and the municipality’s Speaker.

Bredell was duty-bound to do so, he reportedly said, because the Municipality had not answered questions that were raised with him.

Bredell’s hypocrisy is staggering. 

The mayor of Theewaterskloof has already publicly confirmed that no municipal funds were used to pay for their travel, but the gossip is too sexy for Bredell to resist with an election around the corner. 

If it is true that Bredell intends investigating this matter on the basis that the Municipality refused to answer questions posed to him then he is abusing his office for party political purposes and is unfit for the office he holds.

Municipal Structures legislation provides MECs for Local Government with powers to conduct investigations only when the MEC has reason to believe a municipality has failed to fulfil a statutory obligation, or that maladministration or criminality has occurred.

The Theewaterskloof Executive Mayor has already publicly confirmed that no municipal funds were used for the official’s travel. 

In the absence of evidence that public funds were used, Bredell’s investigation is unlawful and an abuse of office. It amounts to weaponizing his office against an opposition coalition government for the benefit of his party, and reveals serious inconsistencies in Bredell’s management of his responsibilities.

Bredell, together with his boss, Premier Alan Winde, has been found by the Public Protector to have breached the Executive Ethics Act and Code of Conduct before – for interference in the affairs of the Oudtshoorn municipality.

The Oudtshoorn complaint was laid by the GOOD Party. If needs be we won’t hesitate to report Bredell to the Office of the Public Protector again.

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