Sparring Oudtshoorn politicians sidelined
Control of the Oudtshoorn municipality has been taken away from politicians after months of antics by the DA and ANC.
|||Cape Town - Control of the Oudtshoorn municipality has been taken away from politicians following months of shenanigans by both the DA and ANC.
On Monday, acting Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Alan Winde, in consultation with Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan, handed over executive authority to administrator Kamalasen Chetty.
Winde said all executive actions relating to the management of the municipality would be taken by Chetty and not the council. Chetty would also take over the role of municipal manager and accounting officer until a new acting municipal manager is appointed.
The municipality was placed under administration at the end of July, following months of political uncertainty and allegations of corruption.
Earlier this month the ANC, supported by the NPP, Icosa and a rogue DA councillor, removed the DA mayor and mayoral committee and voted in John Stoffels of the NPP as speaker, and Gordon April and Vlancio Donson mayor and deputy mayor respectively.
The DA has 12 seats, the ANC has 10 and Icosa, Cope and the NPP each have one. The ANC had the majority because DA councillor Jurie Harmse and Cope, which normally supports the DA, sided with the ANC, Icosa and the NPP.
The legality of the meeting was challenged by the DA, but was declared lawful by the municipality’s acting municipal manager Gavin Juthe, who was standing in for Ronnie Lottering. However, legal experts had not yet pronounced on whether the DA was still in charge of the Oudtshoorn municipality or whether the ANC’s takeover was legitimate.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning spokesperson James-Brent Styan said they had been pushed into this position by the opposition. “They played dirty politics at the expense of the locals,” he said.
DA national spokesperson Phumzile van Damme, said: “The DA is in full support of the decision taken by the acting Local Government MEC Alan Winde.”
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said it was happy that the administration had the executive power to run the council. “It takes away the power of local politics. Remember that both the ANC and DA have 50 percent control in Oudtshoorn. That is why you see constant politicking at the expense of the locals. We will give it 100 percent support,” he said.
Gordhan’s chief of staff Dumisa Jele said: “We are in the process of seeking legal clarity on the matter. We can only comment when that is available.”
michael.nkalane@inl.co.za
@siyaks
Cape Times