DA IEC complaint: City of Joburg’s dirty lies

11 July 2016

The DA condemn's the latest comments by the City of Joburg, alleging that its unashamed ANC electioneering is in fact lawful, and falls with within its responsibility to “inform residents of progress towards fulfilling its mandate.”

This is a blatant distortion of the truth and an attempt to misinform the public of its abuse of taxpayer’s money.

The latest advert aired by the City of Joburg reads as follows:

“A great city like Joburg deserves great leadership, so it’s good to know that Joburg executive mayor, counsellor Parks Tau, was recently nominated as an African candidate for the United Cities and Local Government co-Presidency and the MEC for Health and Social Development was elected Vice President of the Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa, an Integral part of United Cities and Local Governance Africa. Clearly the city of Joburg is in good hands. Joburg, a world class African city.”

One is left asking, how does this qualify as informing residents of progress made by the City towards fulfilling its mandate?

It is clear that the City of Joburg's administration has been filled by ANC deployees who will do anything to ensure the ANC is kept in power.

As the elections fast approach and the ANC grows more anxious about losing the City of Joburg to the DA, we are seeing deliberate misuse and abuse of taxpayer’s money.

Millions of rands have been spent on newspaper adverts, billboards, and radio adverts over the past three months in an attempt to prop up Tau’s administration. This excessive and wasteful expenditure is in the wake of disastrous failures by the ANC-run City to create jobs, cut corruption, and ensure quality service delivery to all.

It amounts to millions of rands of lost opportunities to create jobs for the City’s 869 000 unemployed people. In fact, unemployment has increased by nearly 4% over Tau’s term in office, with 180 000 people being added to the ranks of the unemployed.

On Friday, 8 July, the DA laid an official complaint with the IEC. The DA called on the CEO of the IEC to:

- Instruct Mayor Tau and the ANC to stop contravening the Code immediately, specifically by desisting with gratuitous and excessive advertising, using public funds to promote himself and the ANC whom he represents.

- Approach the Electoral Court if necessary, to enforce the Code against Mayor Tau and the ANC, as they are empowered to do and, I submit, as is their duty under section 77 of the Municipal Electoral Act.

We requested the IEC to respond to our complaint by 12h00 tomorrow, 12 July 2016. We hope that the IEC will use this opportunity to cement its independence and uphold its duty to ensure the elections are both free and fair.

The abuse of authority and public funds by Mayor Tau and the ANC in the City is an unacceptable threat to the fairness of the elections on 3 August.

Should the IEC fail to take strong action against Tau, the DA will consider its legal options against Mayor Tau, as well as the IEC, in the interest of upholding the Code of Conduct, the Constitution, and South Africa’s hard fought democracy.

For too long, the ANC has broken its promises and lost the trust of the people of Johannesburg. 

We are confident that the public will see through the City of Joburg’s dirty lies, and will punish Tau at the polls for abusing their money.

Issued by Nkele Molapo on behalf of DA Mayoral Candidate, 11 July 2016