Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Roy Jankielsohn MPL
During a council meeting on Friday, the DA Mayor Jeff Zwane was removed and replaced by an African Independent Congress candidate supported by both the ANC and EFF and the abstention of the Freedom Front Plus.
The DA minority government has started to show progress after a year and a half of bureaucratic blockages and sabotage by an ANC cadre-based administration. In spite of this, the following are some of the DA’s achievements in Metsimaholo:
- The DA has instituted legal action to prevent unlawful payments of tens of millions of rands by the municipality to a developer. These unlawful payments are supported by the ANC and EFF in Council.
- The party opposed the unlawful suspensions of senior officials who attempted to prevent the unlawful decision to pay tens of millions to the developer. These officials face serious threats to their safety and the DA is determined to fight against such mafia tactics.
- The DA has recently passed a service-delivery orientated budget, has curtailed municipal debt to Eskom and, in line with an open and consultative approach in government, opened dialogue with community organisations to identify service delivery blockages and establish partnerships to address backlogs.
- Metsimaholo is currently the only local municipality in the Free State on a path to recovery and has the healthiest bank accounts.
- Law enforcement agencies were requested by former Mayor Zwane to investigate criminal activities by the previous ANC-run administration.
It is for this reason that Metsimaholo is being targeted by the ANC and EFF, not only to cover up previous plundering, but also to facilitate more plundering to fund 2024 election campaigns. The threat of an ANC and EFF alliance, using candidates from smaller parties as a cover for this, is a real threat at national and provincial spheres of government in 2024.
It remains important that voters realise that a vote for smaller parties who allow themselves to be used as puppets, or who abstain from taking sides, in this war between democracy and cleptocracy will plunge the Free State and the country from a trajectory of rapid economic, political and social decay to total and instant ruin.
The DA has a sound track record of job creating and crime prevention policies. Voters must ensure that they are registered to vote for the only viable alternative to the ANC and EFF doomsday pact.