The Democratic Alliance has formally rejected yesterday’s Gamagara special council meeting, called by the ANC and EFF less than a week before the Local Government Elections, to appoint two senior managers.
For months, Gamagara Municipality has failed to convene special council meetings to deal with serious outstanding issues. These include the proposed appointment of more than 40 municipal staff members, millions of rands spent on road contracts, and motions of no confidence against the Municipal Manager, Speaker and Mayor.
The DA has also repeatedly called for our replacement proportional-representation councillor to be sworn in since August. Yet this has only appeared on the agenda for this week, alongside the appointment of two senior managers whose positions have been vacant for more than a year.
The timing raises serious concerns about the ANC and EFF’s priorities and whether these appointments are being rushed through before the party risks losing power on 4 November.
The DA is also questioning whether the correct procedures were followed to convene the meeting. We have formally requested the signed documentation to establish whether the necessary support was obtained.
It is unacceptable that appointments can suddenly be fast-tracked when it suits the ANC and EFF, while issues affecting the capacity of the opposition, service delivery, municipal finances and accountability have been left unresolved for months.
The DA does not support yesterday’s special council meeting or the follow-up meeting scheduled for Thursday, as the municipality has not demonstrated that the proper procedures were followed.
With a new local government set to take office after 4 November, the DA will ensure that these matters are not swept under the carpet. We will push for the outstanding issues to be addressed, proper processes to be followed, and public money to be managed responsibly.
Gamagara belongs to its residents, not to any political party. Transparency, accountability and proper governance must come first and voters have the opportunity on 4 November, to vote for a municipality that works for all.