Social Development department starts up another vote-buying campaign in Tlokwe

This morning the Social Development Department started delivering thousands of blankets to houses in the Tlokwe wards to be contested on the 23rd of October.

Only days after the ANC launched their plans for the final round of Tlokwe by-elections, the Department of Social Development started its own vote-buying efforts.

The blankets were distributed from a SASSA truck, "co-incidentally" parked close to the home of an ANC councillor. Women were seen carrying stacks of blankets from the truck. (see photo 1 and photo 2)

Sources within the Department alerted the DA to the current blanket campaign. We are reliably informed that another food parcel handout campaign will soon begin in the contested wards.

This blatant abuse of state resources for party political campaigning must end. It is indicative of the ANC's desperation to regain Tlokwe. It is not right for government to use state resources to benefit a particular party's campaign. The money should rather be spent on service delivery to improve people's lives.

We have already lodged a vote-buying complaint with the Public Protector. The DA will forward this new evidence about the continued abuse to the Public Protector as well.

Statement issued by Juanita Terblanche, DA Constituency Head for Tlokwe, October 4 2013

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