ANC's desperate attempts to thwart being reduced to a minority party within KZN municipalities

TODAY, in Nquthu, the ANC foiled an attempt by the DA, IFP and the NFP to have a motion of no confidence in their Mayor being tabled - invading the council chambers with their members and preventing a scheduled council meeting from taking place.

Opposition parties were prevented from entering the council chambers and taking up their seats as these were forcibly occupied by ANC cadres. Police were called in as tensions rose and a stand-off arose for hours. At the time of writing this statement no solution to the impasse had been attained.

Local government in the province is in a state of flux within a number of municipalities as the National Freedom Party (NFP) severs ties with the ANC and embarks on talks with the opposition parties of the DA and the IFP. There are several other municipalities around the province where NFP members have introduced motions of no confidence in ANC mayors and have disassociated themselves from the ANC.

Today's events in Nquthu are the mark of a desperate attempt by the ANC to thwart being reduced to a minority party.

The DA has championed good governance at local government level.  We have witnessed these ANC-controlled local governments going into reverse, only to leave service delivery compromised.

The DA will be part of a local government on the condition that the only top priority will be to serve the people of the local government by providing quality and effective service. We welcome the break-up of an unholy alliance where the ANC dominated totally. Any future co-operative government must be based on mutual respect and concern for the people of the municipality the councillors represent.

Statement issued by Radley Keys, MPP, DA KwaZulu-Natal, June 28 2012

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