Minister Van Rooyen must take action to stabilise Modimolle and Mookgopong
18 March 2016
The recent civil unrest and protests in Modimolle and Mookgopong in Limpopo have once again served to highlight how ANC factionalism and corruption can bring service delivery to a grinding halt and have a disastrous impact on the lives of ordinary South Africans.
The DA urges Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Des van Rooyen, to take immediate action to bring stability to these communities.
The Minister should immediately dissolve the councils of both Modimolle and Mookgopong, and place them under section 139 administration until such time as the situation is stabilised. In terms of the Constitution, a section 139 intervention will allow municipal administrators to take control of the municipality.
It is imperative that basic services, such as the provision of clean drinking water, refuse removal, and a functioning healthcare system are restored immediately. We cannot allow citizens to suffer as a result of the ANC’s infighting and incompetence.
Residents in Modimolle claim to have been without water for months on end with the shortage attributed to water management as opposed to the drought.
Meanwhile in Mookgopong, service delivery protests turned violent this week and resulted in the death of one of the residents from a gunshot wound.
Last year former CoGTA Minister, Pravin Gordhan, announced that Modimolle and Mookgopong would be amalgamated after the local government elections. It was his hope that by amalgamating these two dysfunctional municipalities, a viable one could be created.
This illogical solution will however not solve the problems posed by corrupt ANC councillors and dysfunctional municipal administrations who prioritise personal gain and a desire for power and control at any cost over the needs of the residents.
If the residents of Modimolle and Mookgopong truly want to bring change to their municipalities they should use the local government elections to elect an accountable, DA-led government that will cut corruption and deliver services.
Issued by Kevin Mileham, DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 18 March 2016
