Relief for only ANC voters after heavy storm: DA calls for intervention

14th January 2022

Following the recent heavy storm in Limpopo, the DA has been inundated with reports that relief efforts only benefit those who voted for the ANC.

The politicisation of relief efforts for community members of Madobi Village in Ward 11 of Collins Chabane Municipality is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the DA. Consequently, we have written to the Limpopo MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), Basikopo Makamu, to intervene immediately.

The heavy rainfall in the area left many homes badly damaged, roofless and inhabitable. See photo’s here, here and here. A list of community members in need of relief from the municipality was compiled, but it seems this list was put together along partisan lines.

The DA has received a list of over 20 households and numerous complaints from members of the community that claim to have been left off the list because they did not vote for the current ANC ward councillor during the Local Government Elections.

One of the community members alleges that the people appointed to compile the list by the ward councillor even went as far as to tell him to go get relief from the independent candidate he had voted for.

The DA has approached the Collins Chabane Municipality portfolio head in Community Services, who has not yet responded to the issue, while a senior manager in the Community Services department said the matter must be referred back to the ward Councillor.

It is unacceptable that relief efforts are politicised and are used to punish community members that share differing political views. We call on Makamu to look into this matter and intervene urgently.

The DA believes in providing resources during relief efforts to all that require them in a fair, non-partisan and transparent manner.

 

Issued by DA Constituency Head for Collins Chabane Municipality, Risham Maharaj MPL