THE Western Cape local government has admitted that Swellendam municipality has not been able to take council decisions because a member of the ACDP has been expelled by his party.
THE SOWETAN GETS IT WRONG
SEVERAL INACCURACIES IN THE SOWETAN's ARTICLE RELATING TO ACDP's ROLE IN ONGOING PROBLEMS IN SWELLENDAM MUNICIPALITY:
The Swellendam Municipality has had an active administration and functioning Mayoral Committee notwithstanding the absense of the ACDP's councillor, whose absense was only due to the fact that he was suspended. While the administration faces several important challenges that need to be addressed urgently, the origin, continued existence and worsening/deepening of these challenges cannot be blamed, even indirectly, on the ACDP or the disciplinary process we had to pursue relating to our single councillor in that municipality.
The articles opening statement that "... the Swellendam municipality has not been able to take council decisions because a member of the ACDP has been expelled by his party" is factually wrong for two reasons:
(1) The absense of the ACDP's councillor, as unfortunate yet necessary as it was, did not cause the lack of quorum for council meetings. Instead, the ANC councillors walking out of successive council meetings has caused the lack of quorum and rendered council non-functional to the extent that it has not been able to adopt an adjustment budget for FY 2011/12 or a draft budget for FY 2012/13 amonst various others.
(2) During the disciplinary process and the ensuing High Court challenge, our councillor was never actually expelled. Had he been expelled, a vacancy would have been created by the ACDP, the MM would have legitimately been able to declare a vacancy and the IEC together with the ACDP would have proceeded to fill the vacancy with another candidate. That our Julian Matthysen remains a councillor and the Deputy Mayor, confirms this.
While the ANC's provincial secretary is correct in various of his assertions, these too cannot be blamed on the ACDP especially since they date back several years - the majority of this time the ACDP did not co-govern this municipality.
Ms. Colyn's statement, if accurately presented in the subject article, that a quorum for decision making was now possible only since that the ACDP councillor is reinstated, only tells half the story. Indeed, all 9 councillors are responsible for the quorum and while the ACDP's councillor was suspended, the other 8 councillors should have been present and getting on with the business of governing and delivering services to all of Swellendams communities. Asking Mr. Mjongile where the 4 ANC councillors were, why they disrupted council meetings in the way they did thus repeatedly rendering the council ineffective, are legitimate questions.
I repeat:
The Swellendam municipality faces a host of very important challenges which must be dealt with urgently in order to bring stability and certainty within the administration, to roll out service delivery into the new financial year and address the developmental backlogs many communities face. Not only must council urgently address and resolve, inter alia, all the finance-related challenges highlighted by the Auditor-General including irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, resolve supply chain management issues and fill critical finance department vacancies, but council must urgently finalise its draft budget for the financial year ahead and finalise crucial contract appointments of all four Directors and the Municipal Manager. It must also work with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) declared by the State President and other forensic investigations into fraud and corruption allegations.
Certainly, the ACDP remains committed to working with all political, administrative and civil society role-players towards substantial improvements in all areas of concern. In this regard, we agree with and echo the ANC's appeal, made yesterday during the NCOP visit, that the DA should pursue meaningful and cooperative consultation with all 9 councillors, all of whom have capacity that must be harnessed towards bringing stability within council, passing the budget and securing senior contract appointments for the medium term, in order that all Swellendam communities may benefit from efficient service delivery.
Our appeal to the ANC and the DA is to make the rate-payers King rather than narrow political interests. This is the only sustainable solution to the substantial challenges affecting all of Swellendam municipalities people.
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JoziAnalyst
THE SOWETAN GETS IT WRONGSEVERAL INACCURACIES IN THE SOWETAN's ARTICLE RELATING TO ACDP's ROLE IN ONGOING PROBLEMS IN SWELLENDAM MUNICIPALITY:
The Swellendam Municipality has had an active administration and functioning Mayoral Committee notwithstanding the absense of the ACDP's councillor, whose absense was only due to the fact that he was suspended. While the administration faces several important challenges that need to be addressed urgently, the origin, continued existence and worsening/deepening of these challenges cannot be blamed, even indirectly, on the ACDP or the disciplinary process we had to pursue relating to our single councillor in that municipality.
The articles opening statement that "... the Swellendam municipality has not been able to take council decisions because a member of the ACDP has been expelled by his party" is factually wrong for two reasons:
(1) The absense of the ACDP's councillor, as unfortunate yet necessary as it was, did not cause the lack of quorum for council meetings. Instead, the ANC councillors walking out of successive council meetings has caused the lack of quorum and rendered council non-functional to the extent that it has not been able to adopt an adjustment budget for FY 2011/12 or a draft budget for FY 2012/13 amonst various others.
(2) During the disciplinary process and the ensuing High Court challenge, our councillor was never actually expelled. Had he been expelled, a vacancy would have been created by the ACDP, the MM would have legitimately been able to declare a vacancy and the IEC together with the ACDP would have proceeded to fill the vacancy with another candidate. That our Julian Matthysen remains a councillor and the Deputy Mayor, confirms this.
While the ANC's provincial secretary is correct in various of his assertions, these too cannot be blamed on the ACDP especially since they date back several years - the majority of this time the ACDP did not co-govern this municipality.
Ms. Colyn's statement, if accurately presented in the subject article, that a quorum for decision making was now possible only since that the ACDP councillor is reinstated, only tells half the story. Indeed, all 9 councillors are responsible for the quorum and while the ACDP's councillor was suspended, the other 8 councillors should have been present and getting on with the business of governing and delivering services to all of Swellendams communities. Asking Mr. Mjongile where the 4 ANC councillors were, why they disrupted council meetings in the way they did thus repeatedly rendering the council ineffective, are legitimate questions.
I repeat:
The Swellendam municipality faces a host of very important challenges which must be dealt with urgently in order to bring stability and certainty within the administration, to roll out service delivery into the new financial year and address the developmental backlogs many communities face. Not only must council urgently address and resolve, inter alia, all the finance-related challenges highlighted by the Auditor-General including irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, resolve supply chain management issues and fill critical finance department vacancies, but council must urgently finalise its draft budget for the financial year ahead and finalise crucial contract appointments of all four Directors and the Municipal Manager. It must also work with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) declared by the State President and other forensic investigations into fraud and corruption allegations.
Certainly, the ACDP remains committed to working with all political, administrative and civil society role-players towards substantial improvements in all areas of concern. In this regard, we agree with and echo the ANC's appeal, made yesterday during the NCOP visit, that the DA should pursue meaningful and cooperative consultation with all 9 councillors, all of whom have capacity that must be harnessed towards bringing stability within council, passing the budget and securing senior contract appointments for the medium term, in order that all Swellendam communities may benefit from efficient service delivery.
Our appeal to the ANC and the DA is to make the rate-payers King rather than narrow political interests. This is the only sustainable solution to the substantial challenges affecting all of Swellendam municipalities people.
- Grant Haskins, MPL
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