The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gamagara strongly rejects the appointment of a Corporate Services Manager ranked fourth after an interview and capability assessment at Gamagara Municipality, who is also a known ANC supporter.
We condemn the destructive practice of cadre deployment, which has systematically crippled Gamagara Municipality’s performance over the years. The Corporate Services Unit in Gamagara has particularly suffered under mismanagement, negligence, and incompetence.
The unit is at the heart of the archiving scandal, with lost building plans forcing residents to pay thousands of rands for replacements. See photo here. Satellite offices, that also fall under Corporate Services, are further left to flood during rains, endangering equipment, documents, and basic services. See video here. Last year, we highlighted that at the time, the municipal website had been offline for two years, critical deadlines were routinely missed, legal risks ignored, and accountability was absent.
Despite repeated warnings about the state of this unit, the acting manager has now been appointed permanently. This appointment does not inspire confidence. Instead, it risks cementing a culture of failure, inefficiency and mismanagement.
The DA demands a full explanation for the justification of the appointment of the corporate services manager. We also call on ANC councillors to explain why they previously opposed a candidate ranked second on the list but now allow a party loyalist, who is even further down the list, to assume this critical role.
We will closely monitor the new manager’s performance and continue exposing mismanagement, which directly harms every resident of Gamagara.
As we approach the Local Government Elections, the DA remains committed towards winning more support in Gamagara. This is necessary for us to be able to secure skilled, accountable leadership, restore proper administration, and implement systems that protect residents’ documents, municipal assets, and basic rights.
Gamagara cannot afford another year of incompetence.