/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The ANC’s stated intention to nominate Patrick Mabilo as Executive Mayor of the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality is proof that it does not care about the welfare of residents.

Residents of Kimberley fought long and hard to remove Mangaliso Matika in an effort to restore good governance, clean administration and improved service delivery in the city.

Imposing a choice made by the PEC on the people shows that the ANC is not serious about curbing corruption and cleaning up the city.

Indeed, ramming through the election of Mabilo as mayor would not restore any trust in Sol Plaatje and residents would be left off worse.

We will support a candidate who is passionate about service delivery and who will be committed to doing the right thing in the right way.

We need a leader who can fight the ghosts that Matika has left behind.

The incoming mayor must be able to provide robust leadership, to clean the physical filth in the streets and the dirt in the council and to bring back the sparkle to Kimberley.

The current sewage crisis in the city, which poses a serious risk of cholera and other diseases, must be addressed urgently. In council, forensic audits must be done to investigate the decisions of Matika who simply protected those ANC-leaders who used the municipality as their personal ATM. Matika and any other implicated party must be held accountable for questionable decisions which robbed residents of the services they deserve.

We need a mayor who will refrain from constant political interference in the administration, as this hampers service delivery. Calm and a sense of normalcy must be restored and an environment created for municipal staff to do their jobs. We need a mayor who will provide the kind of political leadership that can take the city forward.

Ultimately, it is only the kind of change that a DA-led administration can provide which can build a better Kimberley for all.

Issued by DA