Note to Editors: Please find attached a soundbite in English by Samantha Graham-Maré, MP.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be laying criminal charges against the Municipal Manager and Speaker of the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality after they presided over the illegal election of a Mayor and Chief Whip.
Today, 7 June 2022, at a Dr Beyers Naude council meeting in Graaff-Reinet, the ANC and their lapdog Speaker, Cheslin Felix from the Compatriots of South Africa (CSA), confirmed that they truly are a coalition of corruption when they unlawfully stole both the Mayoral seat and the position of Chief Whip. The re-election process followed the recent Motion of No Confidence brought by the ANC against DA Mayor, Cllr Ewald Loock, and the Chief Whip of Council, DA Cllr Ricardo Smith.
The Municipal Structures Act is absolutely clear on the processes that need to be followed should there be a draw when voting for two candidates. The meeting must be adjourned and reconvened within 7 days. If there remains a draw following a second round of voting, the position is decided by lot – more often than not, a coin toss.
However, it appears that the law only applies to other parties and not to the ANC or the CSA. In a completely illegal act, the Speaker decided that he would make up his own rules and use his casting vote to settle the deadlock. Despite knowing better, this move was supported by the Municipal Manager, Dr Edward Rankwana, and the full ANC Caucus. Through this illegal process the ANC’s Cllr Willem Safers assumed the position of Mayor and Cllr Thembikile Spogter was named Chief Whip.
The DA will not allow this election to stand and will be laying charges against the Speaker and the Municipal Manager for contravention of the Municipal Structures Act, which is a criminal offence.
We will also be writing to the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Xolile Nqatha, to request that he suspends the Speaker and the entire ANC Caucus who were complicit in this criminal behaviour, pending an investigation. We will further request that should the outcome of the investigation find that there was a contravention of the Code of Conduct of Councillors, then the councillors in question should be removed. The DA will also be taking this on review.
The DA is appalled at the immorality and blatant disregard for the rule of law demonstrated by the Municipal Manager, the Speaker and the entire ANC Caucus and we will not be complicit by accepting such behaviour.