ANC abhors DA's lies and shifting the blame
The Western Cape ANC is extremely concerned about the deterioration of transformation and social cohesion under the present DA-led provincial government and municipalities in the Western Cape.
On service delivery protests
The ANC also condemns the latest spate where the burning of public property became a feature in the Overberg areas and residents taking the law into their own hands during protests that become violent.
Western Cape ANC leader (deputy minister for international relations and cooperation) Marius Fransman says this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and shall not be tolerated.
"The ANC calls on all disgruntled people - supporting any party (DA, ANC or any other group) or community - to remain calm and to engage in peaceful protests as they voice their dissatisfaction with service delivery issues in all municipal areas. Residents must stay calm, end conflict and not be drawn into any hostility in any way," says Fransman.
The conspiracy driven DA is hiding its own failures behind its deliriums dreams and delusions of nonsense plans, which are all lies. The DA plays deflection politics to take the focus away from its own broken promises and lack of political will to govern properly, as it asked to do that job.
Service delivery protests are rife across the province, not because the ANC wants it, but because people are tired of the DA's talk about better service delivery, but not delivering on that promise.
On education
Fransman says most of the problems could have been avoided if the DA leaders have met with people to explain what their problems were. This happened twice in the case of Theewaterskloof municipality, in Kranshoek and now also in Grabouw where DA education MEC Donald Grant runs away from facing the disenfranchised who are cramped into overcrowded township schools. Grant, as a public representative, stays in his office, while people are suffering and refuse to put up with inferior services any longer.
The ANC also calls on the DA and Grant to ensure that the congestion of township schools be alleviated immediately where town schools are underutilised with available space to share. Grant should make arrangements for those children cramped into tin structures like sardines, to be incorporated into the former Model C schools and there where there is existing space, as a short term solution that can be implemented without delay and before mobile classrooms could be moved in. To blame the national government for the DA's failure to deal with the real challenges is DA dishonesty at its best. It claims good governance for itself, but not the responsibility to tangibly improve the poor areas and their schools, like in Grabouw.
"The DA brags with its own concepts of an open opportunity society, quality education and the provincial matriculation pass rate, but fails the poor and vulnerable by not providing equality and parity with equipment, classrooms and teaching staff to especially previous disadvantaged areas. This attention-seeking attitude has just elevated the plight of the poor in townships to levels of dissatisfaction. The DA is falling into its own trap of elevating elitist, like former Model C or "excellence" schooling for some, but not providing the same standard to all," says the ANC.
On social cohesion
"What suffer the most are our attempts of community building, where people are divided for political gains by certain parties that prefer to divide to rule. The ANC is very disappointed that signs are becoming stronger that the DA doesn't really care for the poor and only serves the agenda of the richer people," says Fransman.
The DA also lies to people that they cannot build houses or schools due to a lack of land. There is sufficient land for housing in the province, which was given by human settlement minister Tokyo Sexwale. In Grabouw there is spacious land available for new schools for black (coloured and African) schools, but the DA municipality refuse to allow these to be erected closer to the white areas.
"We see more ‘swart gevaar' (black danger) tactics being employed by the DA's people in areas to divide coloured and African people by branding Africans (especially those from the Eastern Cape) as "inkommers" (foreigners) and "refugees" for political point scoring. This is making a mockery of the DA's attempts to lure more voters of colour to join forces with its mostly white controlling base, while not dealing with issues of race in a serious way.
"It is also very disconcerting that we have racial problems cropping up in areas on the eve of Human Rights Day where we celebrate the victory of our people over racial discrimination, segregation, oppression, torture, murder and white supremacy. The DA runs away from issues such as the growing evidence of bad treatment and even assault and other atrocities on farmworkers. This happens as the DA turns a blind eye to these people to protect the (mostly white) farmers backing the DA, as was allegedly done by DA mayor Chris Punt of Theewaterskloof municipality. This is a travesty and proves the DA is not committed to nation building," says Fransman.
Statement issued by ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman, March 20 2012
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