The Democratic Alliance is demanding that the Dawid Kruiper Municipality provide Council with a full breakdown of all funds allocated and spent on the controversial Schröder Street name change while the criminal fraud case against Mayor David Kazi remains under investigation.
The SAPS investigation stems from allegations that the ANC submitted a fraudulent petition in support of the name change. The petition allegedly contained manipulated data taken from DA forms, as well as the name of a deceased DA member. Despite these serious allegations, the ANC’s petition, containing only 1 317 signatures, was used to justify the name change, overriding the DA’s petition of 7 055 residents who opposed it.
Although the investigation has dragged on for more than six months, the DA welcomes the apparent progress made following our enquiries into the matter and the resurfacing of the docket.
What is deeply concerning, however, is that the municipality has continued spending public money on implementing the name change while the legitimacy of the process remains the subject of a criminal investigation. In some places, painted curb markings have already been changed to Alfred Qayiso Gubela Street, with a few new street signs also already erected. Public funds were also spent on the Heritage Day launch of the renamed street earlier this year.
This is irresponsible. If the investigation ultimately exposes wrongdoing in the process that led to the name-change, taxpayers could be left paying for a project that should never have gotten underway.
The DA is therefore calling on the municipality to disclose every cent spent on the project, including signage, road markings, launch events, administrative costs and any other related expenditure.
From the beginning, we have maintained that this name change was politically driven and forced through despite overwhelming public opposition. Instead of respecting the wishes of thousands of residents and properly assessing the financial impact of the change, the municipality chose to press ahead.
The people of Upington deserve a municipality that puts responsible governance ahead of political agendas. We will continue to hold those responsible accountable and ensure residents know how their money has been spent.