Abuse of ambulances for Magashule’s ego
19 July 2016
Premier Ace Magashule’s election campaigning is disrupting the work of civil servants and abusing government vehicles. Premier Magashule was yesterday seen visiting various schools and the derelict Vogelfontein housing development accompanied by a large convoy of government and municipal vehicles at Bethlehem and Bohlokong in the Dihlabeng Municipality. See photos here, here and here.
Magashule led a high-profile delegation comprising of the Gupta-appointed Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane, Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises, Bulelani Magwanishe, Public Works MEC, Dora Kotzee, Health MEC, Benny Malakoane, Social Development MEC, Sisi Ntombela, the Executive Mayors of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality, Malefu Vilikazi, and the Dihlabeng Local Municipality, Tjhetane Mofokeng, as well as a number of departmental HODs and other government officials.
Magashule has a penchant for leading large delegations to complement his inflated ego.
It is clear that Magashule used government vehicles and employees to accompany him as a show of force in the run up to the municipal elections. At the unfinished housing project at Vogelfontein, a large tent was erected for his public meeting. Large numbers of government vehicles, specifically SAPS, traffic police and emergency medical vehicles, were parked in rows outside the tent. The event was also attended government employees from the municipality and various provincial government departments.
The Vogelfontein housing project, with large numbers of unfinished houses, has become a symbol of dysfunctional service delivery in Dihlabeng. Magashule’s latest promises of a new clinic and completing the project smacks of electioneering.
It is irresponsible to abuse ambulances, traffic, police, and various other government vehicles in this way to accompany him in a large convoy. These are vehicles that should be used to respond to medical emergencies and to fight crime, instead, they are deployed to stroke Magasule’s ego. Furthermore, the presence of government employees and Expanded Public Works Project (EPWP) workers in their trademark orange work-wear to supply him with an audience is a further abuse of resources.
This show of force is nothing more than an attempt to boost his own ego, since the local community have shown little enthusiasm to attend his activities.
The people of Dihlabeng, who daily experience the poor governance under the ANC will see through this ruse. Each day more and more people are rejecting the ANC’s poor track record for the hope the DA brings of a better government that can deliver better services to the people, this is specifically true for Dihlabeng, where the DA has seen a steady increase in popular support.
On 03 August, the people of Dihlabeng will have an opportunity to vote for the only party that can move South Africa forward again. They will vote DA.
Issued by Roy Jankielsohn, Leader of the Official Opposition in the Free State Provincial Legislature, 19 July 2016
