Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Johannes le Grange.
The DA in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality rejected the Council’s decision to amend its minutes in order to proceed with its attempt to appeal the current court order by Eskom to set aside the attachment of the Council’s bank account, regardless of the Council’s legal opinion.
On 28 July, during the Matlosana Council debate on the update report on Eskom debt, the DA was surprised by the addition of two points, namely that the current financial plan should be implemented without failure and that an item of the Financial Recovery Plan be submitted in the next Council meeting.
The DA reiterates the call and motion to immediately implement the DA’s Financial Recovery Plan, as approved by the Council, in conjunction with the North West Provincial Legislator’s Financial Recovery Plan.
The DA would like to caution against the ANC’s attempt to appeal the court order and while we distance ourselves, we will not hesitate to take further action against every individual who was involved in the decision to appeal as they must be held accountable.
Eskom is entitled to payment, and Matlosana’s only responsibility is to negotiate a workable repayment plan. It is the responsibility of this municipality to identify and bridge the gap between all stakeholders. The DA urges the Matlosana community to pay their bills on time, and those who are unable to do so to come forward and make the necessary arrangements.
It is unfortunate that this municipality has been unable to honour its previous agreement of R388 million since 2020, which has now escalated to a whopping R1.1 billion.
We are members of this multiparty government and urge the ANC to stop using its numbers to persuade and bulldoze every decision in their favour. We will not be held accountable for decisions of this nature that fail.
We urge the community not to give up hope and to vote for the DA because it is the only party that gets things done.