DA refutes ANC's claims in Theewaterskloof, casts doubt on GOOD

5 September 2024

Following the chaotic Special Council Meeting on Monday, 2 September, the ANC had cast aspersions that members of the DA and SRWP in the newly formed DA/GOOD/SRWP coalition voted against my candidacy as Executive Mayor of Theewaterskloof Municipality.

However, this fallacy was essentially intended to divert attention from the allegation that two of the GOOD councillors failed to vote for me.

The DA conducted its own internal investigation and can confirm that none of the DA councillors nor the councillor from the SRWP voted against me. As a result, it denotes that only one GOOD member voted in support of my candidacy.

In recent weeks, the relationship between myself and the GOOD party’s Alderman John Michels has been unneighbourly and even led to an altercation when Ald. Michels threatened me, saying: “you will see what I will do with you”.

Shortly after assuming office, I stopped the abuse of the funds earmarked for Disaster Management in the municipality and exposed major irregularities in the disbursement of the fund.

Ald. Michels also publicly berated the DA and I for the fact that he was unable to draw R150 000 for travel expenses for students to travel abroad on a rugby tour.

At Monday’s Special Council meeting, the Speaker refused to attend a caucus meeting or even engage with me. It is alleged the chaos at said meeting was impelled by Ald. Michels’s fracas with myself.

Furthermore, the ANC’s instigation of questioning the DA councillors’ loyalty has raised eyebrows.

As a party, we have disciplined members who will never vote or act against any decision of the DA or coalition caucus and it was proven with all items that followed.

What concerns the DA is that the GOOD councillors have voted against coalition agreements in the past, most notably at the very meeting where the adoption of the Grant in Aid policy was voted through with GOOD supporting the adoption with the opposition vote split 15/12. The DA/SRWP councillors voted against the adoption as the policy lack authenticity.

The DA/SRWP partnership remains solid. However, we cannot echo this sentiment about the current GOOD councillors.

The DA assures the public that we are committed to partnering with any party that seeks to stabilise and render good governance to residents of Theewaterskloof.

Issued by Lincoln de Bruyn, DA Caucus Leader, Theewaterskloof, 5 September 2024