The DA, along with our coalition partners, boycotted the Mogale City Council meeting today. The ANC was intent upon ramming through an illegitimate Budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which was not taken to the people of Mogale City for their input. Resulting from our absence, the meeting was not quorate and had to be adjourned.
The Mogale City Council must be dissolved and fresh elections must be held so that the people of Mogale City can elect a government that will deliver the change that they want to see. This is the only way to ensure that the ANC does not further corrode stability and loot municipal coffers.
The DA-led coalition has reduced the budget deficit from R400 million to R200 million in just 11 months, since taking office. Similarly, our IDP will see the roll out of a Budget that is financially prudent and puts the people first. The implementation of our Budget would see Mogale City being cash flush by the end of this financial year, with R30 million in the bank. By the end of this term, Mogale City would have R500 million in the bank.
Instead, the ANC was intent on pushing through their illegitimate budget, which was not taken to the public for consultation. Through this illegitimate budget, the ANC planned to take R30 million from Mogale City coffers, to give to their cronies at the West Rand District Municipality. They also planned to escalate debt by including an overdraft of R100 million.
The DA-led coalition government spared no effort in taking the plans for the municipal budget and development to the people. Numerous public participation meetings were held and the voices of the people, regardless of political affiliation, were factored into our Budget.
To ignore the DA-led coalition’s planned Budget is to ignore the will of the people.
The ANC has proven that they are not interested in meeting the needs of the people of Mogale City. They have demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to get back into power in Mogale City, so they can merely further their corruption.
The DA will not stop fighting for the change that the people of Mogale City called for. We, along with our partners, will not simply sit back and let the ANC further plunder municipal resources once more.