STATEMENT BY BRETT HERRON, GOOD MEMBER OF WESTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT AND SECRETARY GENERAL
16 SEPTEMBER 2020
MEC BREDELL MUST RE-DEFINE THE INVISIBLE LINE BETWEEN HIS PARTY AND THE STATE IN SALDANHA
In Vredenburg, which is part of the Saldanha Bay Municipality, the DA has abandoned the democratic principle of separating party and state, closed its office in the town, and is running its operations from the municipal offices of the Mayor and Speaker.
Saldanha Bay is the third Western Cape municipality, after George and Oudtshoorn, where the DA has been accused of manipulating municipal resources for its own benefit. GOOD has already requested the Public Protector and Auditor-General to investigate the capture of the two Southern Cape towns.
While lower profile than the headline-grabbing abuse of Air Force resources by the ruling ANC on a junket to Zimbabwe, these abuses of municipal resources are no less immoral or illegal.
According to allegations from within the Saldanha Bay Municipality, staff in the Mayor’s office, employed and paid salaries by the Municipality, are busy with DA campaign and party work using the Municipality’s offices, equipment and work time.
Local community leaders allege that the Mayor’s Office is run like a fully-fledged branch office of the DA. It is where DA membership and data capturing takes place, party regalia and resources are stored, the home base for the local DA branch executive and party canvassers – and comes with the bonus of free phones and office equipment.
This is clearly corrupt.
Last week in the Western Cape Legislature I alerted MEC for Local Government Anton Bredell to serious allegations, confirmed in affidavits, that the DA Speaker of the Saldanha Bay Municipality was abusing her office. Among the allegations was that she threatened the jobs of municipal employees, as well as indigent people earning a pittance on EPWP projects, who no longer supported her party.
I have today written to the MEC requesting that he initiate an investigation in terms of Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act.
As political leader of the DA in the Western Cape, I call upon Minister Bredell to suspend his DA Mayor and Speaker based on these serious allegations. This would be consistent with what transpired in Oudtshoorn, where the Mayor was suspended based on allegations of misconduct.
ENDS…