No evidence of corruption in Midvaal - Helen Zille

Helen Zille, Leader of the Democratic Alliance
11 November 2011

The DA is pleased that the Public Protector found no evidence of corruption on our part. But we take the findings of maladministration very seriously indeed - even if they did happen some time ago, and most of them had been corrected long before the Public Protector's investigation started.  The allegations investigated by the Public Protector are not new to us. In fact, there have been no fewer than five investigations into the various allegations over the years - some of them initiated by the DA.

I am confident that the Midvaal municipality has done, and is doing, everything it can to ensure that the mistakes that were made do not happen again. We believe it is important to acknowledge our shortcomings and then work on fixing them. That is how good governments become great governments: they learn from their mistakes and continually improve their performance. Read more ...

Councillors asked to dedicate more time to service delivery

Michael Sakuneka
Sowetan Live, 11 Nov 2011

COUNCILLORS in the Greater Letaba municipality in Modjadjiskloof have been asked to dedicate two days of their time every week to improving service delivery in communities falling in their wards. Read more ...

KeRataBasadi's comment: "I thought it was their [fulltime] job."

Kouga in the red

Piet Liebenberg

Our Times, 11 November 2011

THE embattled Kouga local municipality is one of the top 20 debtors of the Nelson Mandela Metro with an outstanding debt amount of more than R22-million owing for water.

However this was only brought to the attention of the Metro’s council recently.

Kouga’s debt was controversially listed on the Metro’s green papers, thus considered to be confidential.

Now theMmetro councillors are asking why their residents should subsidise the Kouga while they are desperately short of funds themselves and are battling to meet service delivery challenges.

They are insisting the MEC for local government, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, urgently intervenes in the affairs of the Kouga.

A source within the Metro, who prefers to remain anonymous, says for a period of seven months they could not get the Kouga municipality to respond.

Various attempts to get Kouga officials around a table to discuss the mounting debt situation were ignored.

The source says Kouga’s debt is well documented and they are experiencing serious liquidity problems.

Meanwhile Kouga is said to be negotiating with all its creditors.

After discussions with the municipality’s chief financial officer and councillor Vernon Stuurman, who serves on the finance portfolio committee, Kouga promised to pay for any water delivered and an additional amount of R500 000 per month for outstanding debt.

It will thus take the Kouga nearly four years to repay the debt.

In his response to questions Kouga municipal spokesman Mfundo Sobelo said, “We do not have any arrears with Eskom and we are up to date with our account.

“We have an arrangement with the Metro for our water account.

“We have developed a very good relationship with both institutions [Eskom and the Metro] and there should be no reason for any worries in the foreseeable future.”

Raadslid Thiart doen haar ding

Barry Vosloo

The Courier - Die Koerier deel vandag in opdrag van die DA-takbestuurskomitee van Wyk 3 ‘n ruiker uit aan sy raadslid, Henda Thiart.

Henda was nog altyd ‘n energieke werker en volkome toegewyd aan enige organisasie waarin sy gedien het. Só was dit byvoorbeeld toe sy nog lid en later voorsitter was van die Jeffreysbaai-belastingbetalersvereniging.

Die takbestuur is in sy noppies dat Henda haar só gou laat geld het ná haar verkiesing as raadslid in Mei vanjaar.

Die feit dat die DA-koukus haar benoem het om in twee hoëprofiel-raadskomitees soos die finans- en oorsigkomitee te dien, is bewys van die aansien wat sy onder haar kollegas geniet.

Hierbenewens is Henda een van vyf DA-raadslede wat onlangs aangewys is om in die nuutgestigte munisipale openbare rekeninge-komitee te dien. Dié komitee verrig op munisipale vlak dieselfde funksie as SKOOR in die provinsiale en nasionale wetgewer.

Nog is het einde niet. Op 29 Oktober 2011 is sy op Joubertina onbestrede verkies tot die uitvoerende komitee van die Tsitsi-Karoo-kiesafdelingsraad. In hierdie komitee sal sy na die belange van die Kouga se DA-raadslede omsien.

Malema: What the analysts say

news24, 10 November 2011

The ANC kicked out its Youth League leader, Julius Malema, for five years on Thursday after finding him guilty of sowing division in the party.

Malema, who had been pushing for nationalisation of the mines in Africa's biggest economy, is expected to appeal against the sentence, which was harsher than analysts had expected.

Following are reactions from analysts:

Justice Malala, political commentator
"The principles enunciated are so watertight that it's going to be difficult to appeal. The principles enunciated take us back to the ANC of Nelson Mandela, take us back to the ANC of Albert Luthuli and that is where Julius Malema and his Youth League made a huge miscalculation."

Karima Brown, political commentator on e.News Channel
"Julius Malema has lost the presidency of the ANCYL. That is the most important ramification of what [disciplinary hearing chairperson] Derek Hanekom has just said.

The larger story is that the Youth League leadership is in crisis.

Mr. Malema has had a date with history today and he is finished in the ANC and ANCYL."

Read more ...

Let the (opposition) party begin, or not

Stephen Grootes
Daily Maverick, 9 November 2011

Confused or not, reality or fiction, the calls for creating a greater body of opposition to the ANC will only gain in strength over time. Sooner or later, that moment will come.

Cope is confused, but you knew that already. One day there's a push for a merger of opposition parties, then a denial. Then there's a push for a coalition of opposition parties. Then a denial. Then on Monday, Cope leader (kind of) Mosouia Lekota wrote a lengthy call in the Business Day for the formation of an alliance to take on the ANC. The denial is no doubt in the post. Lekota used much of the space to simply bash the ANC, but having said that, the discussion around a more united opposition is gaining momentum. It won't be easy, and there are plenty of pitfalls to watch out for. Read more ...

Dié wet gaan min doen vir taal

Hoofartikel
Die Burger, 9 November 2011

’n Herhalende kenmerk van die ANC is dat hy vol mooi woorde en voornemens is. Maar wanneer dit kom by die dóén, die praktiese uitvoer van die pragtige planne, val hy maar te dikwels platter as ’n sleg gebakte pannekoek.

Dit geld ook vir die nasionale taalwets­ontwerp, wat pas opgestel is nadat die ANC al jare lank voete sleep en sy arm uiteindelik tot in die konstitusionele hof gedraai moes word om dit te doen. Dít ondanks die feit dat die Grondwet dit vereis.

Die wetsontwerp stel helaas teleur. Dis al weer vol mooi woorde en ideale, maar bete­ken nie veel in die praktyk nie.

Daar is veral twee besware.

Ten eerste is die dokument flouerig as dit kom by die bevordering van meertaligheid, en Afrikaans en ander inheemse tale hoef nie veel daarvan te verwag nie. Nie dat ’n mens anders vermoed het nie, want die ANC voel nou eenmaal nie veel vir Suid-Afrikaners se inheemse tale nie.

Tweedens bevat die wetsontwerp geen tande nie; geen meganisme om selfs die flou meertaligheidselemente af te dwing nie. Pansat, synde die beste instrument om meertaligheid te hanteer, bly ’n wanbestuurde en tandelose bulhond wat deesdae nie eers meer ’n hees blaf kan gee nie.

Nee, as mense wat glo in die behoud van inheemse tale – Afrikaanssprekendes van alle rasse inkluis – hul tale wil bewaar en uitbou, moet hulle helaas nie op die ANC staatmaak nie. Hulle sal dit self moet doen.