POLITICS

Maintenance defaulters: DA trying to present govt's success as its own - Marius Fransman

ANC WCape leader says Operation Isondlo was launched as far back as December 2005 by then minister Bridgette Mbandla (Nov 19)

ANC rejects DA claims on maintenance money

The ANC Western Cape says the DA makes foolish claims about the collection of child maintenance money and actually lies about it.

This national Department of Justice and Constitutional Development programme Operation Isondlo was launched in December 2005 by then minister Bridgette Mbandla in Limpopo, rolled out in December 2006 and is nationwide in operation since. The facts are all captured in official documents of the department.

ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman says: "The plagiarising DA has of late tried to usurp and claim the project as its own. It even today went as far as to claim it is a DA strategy by DA women ‘network' (DAWN) leader Denise Robinson in a statement.

"The DA shamelessly steals information and repeats it as DA successes, when it was mostly national government departments and agencies that work towards getting defaulters to pay and to reduce the number of cases for outstanding maintenance money.

"It is not the first time the DA attempts to claim the credit for this programme. It is all pathetic DA lies, spin, smoke and mirrors that this is a DA strategy, priority or project. Maintenance orders of the court is executed on an ongoing basis because it is a national government programme and not because of the DA. The DA can do better if it sticks to its competencies where it governs in some municipalities and the Western Cape as it fails the poor with inferior service delivery."

Western Cape premier Helen Zille has on numerous occasions also cited the collection of maintenance money as a DA project.

"The fish rots from the head with unfounded claims. The ANC rejects with contempt these baseless claims," Fransman added.

Statement issued by ANC Western Cape leader, Marius Fransman, November 19 2014

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