The ANC wants the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister to intervene in the Oudtshoorn municipality.
|||Cape Town - The Western Cape ANC wants Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi to intervene in the embattled Oudtshoorn municipality “for the sake of stability”.
ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile said on Wednesday that the party had “lost faith” in Local Government MEC Anton Bredell who, he claimed, was “protecting the DA”.
He said the ANC would write to Baloyi, the municipality’s “only hope”, to intervene. “The DA’s claims that they had taken over that municipality are untrue,” Mjongile said. “It was a coup, an illegal action in the council.
The ANC is in control, but the DA is not participating in any of our council meetings.
A budget needs to be approved for Oudtshoorn, but the DA councillors have rejected it.”
The DA claimed it ousted ANC mayor Gordon April, supported by five rebel ANC councillors, in a motion of no confidence during a council meeting last month.
The meeting was scheduled to approve the town’s R750-million budget and to appoint a permanent municipal manager.
At the time, DA provincial deputy leader Theuns Botha said the takeover was “completely legal” and above board.
He said the motion of no confidence in Speaker John Stoffels, April and deputy mayor Vlancio Donson was accepted with a 17-0 vote.
DA councillors Chris MacPherson, Ben van Wyl and Felicity Magxaka were then appointed as Speaker, mayor and deputy mayor respectively.
The ANC argued that the takeover was illegal and approached the Western Cape High Court for an interdict.
The matter is expected to be heard on August 13. In the meantime the Klein Karoo town was in limbo, MacPherson said. Yesterday, Bredell said a final decision would be made after the by-election on August 7 which would be held to fill three positions left vacant by ANC councillors who had joined the DA.
clayton.barnes@inl.co.za
Cape Argus