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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is concerned that the Dawid Kruiper municipality is pushing serious findings, as made by the Office of the Public Protector in respect of dodgy appointments, under the mat. We are thus appealing to COGHSTA MEC, Bentley Vass, to involve himself in the matter to ensure adherence to the recommended rectification mechanisms.

The matter was initially reported to the Office of the Public Protector by DA Councillor, Flip Van Der Steen, in 2016. More than 30 days after the Office of the Public Protector released its findings on an investigation into the irregular appointment of former ANC councillors to the municipality, after their political term came to an end in 2016, the municipality has failed to reflect on the implications of the report. Instead, council rather chose to shrug off the matter in a closed meeting, whereby the ANC majority opted to have the findings placed under review.

The findings of the PP blatantly show that Human Resource policies were not properly followed and that the posts were not advertised in the appointment of three ex-councillors, namely Mr SP May, Ms R George and Mr DZ Ntlanganiso. The report further states that the conduct of the municipality, which was at the time under the management of ex-municipal manager Deshi Ngxanga, the current ANC provincial secretary, was improper, constituting maladministration and resulting in irregular expenditure.

The fact that the municipality willfully chooses not to act on these findings is disappointing and simply goes to show that the ANC doesn’t care about clean governance, but rather about cadre governments.

If MEC Vass is at all concerned about building competent and efficient local governments, he must not let party politics get in the way of ensuring accountability for the past irregularities that occurred at the Dawid Kruiper municipality.

We thus call on MEC Vass, in conjunction with the current Municipal Manager, Mr Elias Ntoba, to waste no time in taking remedial action in respect of dodgy appointments.

No more time should be wasted in taking disciplinary action against all staff involved in making the irregular appointments in 2016. The municipality must also see to it that a judicial review of the appointments is urgently initiated, as was recommended by the PP, before the positions can be declared null and void.

There is simply no place for cadre deployment in our embattled municipalities. Residents deserve to have local governments run by fit-for-purpose individuals who can ensure sustainable and high-quality services, while also practicing good financial management.

Issued by The DA