ANC abuses state resources during by-election campaign

15 August 2018

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Kgatelopele Local Municipality will  lodge an official complaint with the Municipal Manager to report the blatant abuse of municipal vehicles by the ANC during the by-election held today in Ward 4 of the Siyancuma Local Municipality.

In addition, we will also submit a motion to council to request that disciplinary action be taken against those who are implicated in the abuse of state resources.

A bakkie belonging to the Kgatelopele Local Municipality, as well as the mayoral vehicle, were openly being used to ferry municipal officials as well as two ANC councillors to the by-election.

The Municipal Manager should further provide clarity on whether all officials involved in this specific incident submitted leave forms for the time spent in Douglas.

Residents of Kgatelopele Municipality need to know whether any municipal funds were spent to foot the bill for travel costs or accommodation fees incurred by either the officials or the councillors, since they were clearly not here to promote municipal business.

According to the audited financial statements, the Kgatelopele Local Municipality closed the 2016/17 financial year with a deficit of R1.4 million. What little money this municipality has, should be spent on ensuring service delivery to its own residents and its resources should not be squandered to support ANC election campaigns in different municipalities.

The blatant abuse of state resources in elections is a standing practice for the ANC. It has now even gone so far as to commandeer resources from different municipalities to support its election campaign.

Come 2019, residents in the Northern Cape will vote for change that ensures state resources are spent on service delivery instead of self-serving political activities.

Issued by Boitumelo Babuseng, DA Constituency Head for Kgatelopele Local Municipality, 15 August 2018