Change has come to Metsimaholo! 

22 August 2016

Today marks a momentous occasion in the history of the Free State. 

On election day, Wednesday, 03 August 2016, the people of Metsimaholo came out in their numbers and they voted for change. It is because of their bravery that change has come to Metsimaholo. 

It is our great privilege today, to for the first time in the history of the Free State, to form the first ever coalition government in the province. Whilst change has come to Metsimaholo, today also marks the beginning of change that will sweep the Free State clean. 

The people of Metsimaholo overwhelmingly rejected the poor governance of the ANC, and in their majority voted for change. The ANC received only 19 seats in council, whilst collectively the opposition received 23 seats. The DA received 12 seats, the EFF 8, the MCA 2 and the FF+1.

Opposition parties have heard the call for change and we’ve come together to form a multiparty coalition government in Metsimaholo that will move the municipality forward again. 

We congratulate Cllr Arnoldi du Ploy (DA) on her election as Speaker and Cllr Linda Radebe (DA) as Council Whip. 

We also extend our congratulations to Cllr Sello Hlasa (MCA) on his election as Mayor of Metsimaholo. All key appointments to the Mayco will be made from the ranks of DA councillors as will be announced in due course. 

This DA-led coalition government in partnership with other parties will work together to bring the much needed change the people of Metsimaholo deserves.

On behalf of the DA in the Free State, I want to thank each and every person who voted for change for their bravery, because voting differently takes courage, and it shows that the people of Metsimaholo have had enough of the empty promises, poor governance and corruption of successive ANC administrations here. 

I commit that this DA-led coalition government, the first DA-led government in the Free State, will work for the people. 

This government will be an accessible and transparent government. It will be a caring government dedicated to improve the lives of the people of Metsimaholo. 

Let us not be under any illusion. The road ahead of us will not be easy. Already the ANC in the Free State is looking towards sabotaging this coalition government as has been elected by the people.  

The ANC is trying to bribe councillors with positions and are claiming that they will never allow a DA-led government to deliver services in their wards. 

I want to say to the ANC’s Free State Provincial Chairperson Ace Magashule, this tsotsi strategy will fail. 

We have also heard that the ANC-led provincial government under the leadership of Premier Ace Magashule will attempt to limit this DA-led coalition government’s access to resources and that provincial government programmes in Metsimaholo will be delayed in order to sabotage this coalition government. 

This also will fail. We will not allow the ANC to play politics with the lives of the people! 

This DA-led coalition government will not be intimidated. And this DA-led coalition government is not for sale. The ANC must just accept that CHANGE has come. 

Now the work starts in earnest. This coalition government will begin the hard task of cleaning out this municipality and restoring the dignity of our people through the delivery of quality basic services. This is our mandate, we dare not disappoint the trust the people of Metsimaholo has put in us. 

Issued by Patricia Kopane, DA Free State Leader, 22 August 2016