DA ready to contest Ditsobotla elections

5 September 2022

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Leon Basson MP

The DA notes today’s vote in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to proceed with dissolution of the municipality under Section 139(1)(c).

We also note that judgement is reserved for later this week in the application brought by Sakeliga in the Mahikeng High Court to set the decision to dissolve Ditsobotla aside.

The DA’s position remains that dissolution will not fix Ditsobotla and that this decision is an abuse of the Constitution by the ANC to settle factional party political scores. It is also an abuse of taxpayer money to fund fresh elections 11 months after the last local government elections.

We maintain our position that either a Section 139(5) and/or a Section 139(7) intervention would have better served the people of Ditsobotla if the ANC was really interested in stabilising the municipality to improve governance, financial management and service delivery.

Nonetheless, the DA is ready to contest fresh elections in Ditsobotla.

We will closely monitor the performance of the appointed Administrator to ensure a continuation of basic service delivery. In addition, the Administrator must immediately begin with a full skills audit of municipal employees and review Ditsobotla’s organogram.

Since the year 2000, there have been about 29 interventions into Ditsobotla, by the ANC provincial government, into the ANC governed local municipality, and every single one of these 29 interventions failed while the municipality continued a steady decline.

The ANC cannot rebuild what it has destroyed.

Unless the ANC loses this election, there will be no improvement in governance and service delivery.

The people of Ditsobotla should use their voting power to say enough is enough.

The DA will campaign hard to bring the ANC below 50% and with the support of the community it is possible to see a DA-led local government elected in Ditsobotla.

Only the DA can rebuild what the ANC has destroyed.

Issued by Leon Basson, DA North West Provincial Leader, 5 September 2022