Whether they win or lose the Bitou Municipality, the ANC is winning the moral, higher ground and scoring political points.

Despite DA Mayor Memory Booysen’s unsubstantiated warnings of opposition threat to life and property, all has been calm in Plettenberg Bay.

The ANC has now issued this emotional statement stating that they will not try take power at a Council meeting but that the DA must allow meetings so that important municipal business can be conducted.

PRESS RELEASE
PHAKI MBALI ANC CHIEF WHIP BITOU MUNICIPALITY
7 JULY 2014

RE: CURRENT STATUS OF THE BITOU MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

1. The high court application will be heard on 29 July 2014, when it will be decided by the court whether to grant our request to force the Speaker of Bitou to convene the council meeting as per our request by the majority of councillors.

2. The ANC is deeply disturbed by the false and malicious allegations levelled against us that we purportedly want to “take over” the municipality by force, etc.

3. We are further deeply disturbed by the DA’s reckless conduct herein where they patently rape our country’s young democracy by trying every dirty trick in the book to avoid the majority to hold a council meeting in which the minority will be unseated.

4. Just like they did in Nama Qoi (Springbok municipality) when they refused to give effect to the by-election results where the ANC won, they kept the minority DA councillors in control for almost a year, losing 7 High Court applications in the process on the tax payers tab, they are now taking the Bitou tax payers on the same road.

5. In the meantime they refuse to convene any council meeting and in effect are keeping the proper functioning of our town at ransom because of their fear of losing power and the subsequent drop in salary.

6. These travesties are not only condoned by the senior leadership of the DA, but are done on their instructions!!

7. In order to try and mitigate the damages the DA is causing to the town, we will request another meeting for council convene in order to finalize pressing items of our town in general.

8. We undertake not to table any motions of no-confidence knowing full well that the speaker will simply not convene the meeting if we do.

9. We invite the public to this meeting to be our witnesses and to see that our town does not stand still in the custody of a few scrupulous and selfish politicians and their party, the DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE.