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The Democratic Alliance (DA) Dihlabeng Municipal Caucus has withdrawn the recently elected DA Speaker of the Dihlabeng Municipality, Councillor Eric Motloung, following attempts by the ANC to alienate him from his role as Speaker and to stage a power grab in the Municipality.

On 30 November 2020, the Dihlabeng Council elected Councillor Eric Motloung as Speaker. This could not have taken place without the votes of many disgruntled ANC councillors, who strongly believe that the DA is the best alternative to the divided ANC which is unable to self-correct.

The DA availed Cllr Motloung for election as Speaker with the intention of using the position to ensure greater oversight and accountability by the Council over service delivery within the Municipality. The Free State provincial government through MEC for COGTA, Skully Nxangisa, immediately abused their position politically by attempting to illegitimize Council’s decision of electing a DA Speaker in Dihlabeng.

The DA regards the failure of the acting Municipal Manager to defend the integrity of the decisions taken by Council against this illegal attack by Skully Nxangisa, together with similar political obstructions regarding crucial Council meetings as confirming the DA Caucus’ contention that only a DA-majority will ensure the effective functioning of the Council. The DA will not be a participant in the ANC’s internal factionalism that undermines the ability of the Dihlabeng Municipality to deliver basic services to its residents.

Unlike the DA’s sound track record of good, clean and accountable governance, as witnessed by the pockets of excellence across South Africa where the DA governs, the ANC in contrast have become synonymous with maladministration, corruption and poor governance. The ANC’s legacy of failing governance in the Dihlabeng Municipality speaks to their inability to put the interests of residents above the interests of their internal political battles.

The DA has taken a decision that it is the interests of the residents of Dihlabeng to allow the ANC to commit their inevitable political suicide by self-destructing, and to then allow voters to give the DA an overwhelming mandate to govern through a clear majority in the Local Government Elections later this year.

Issued by DA