ANC municipalities in KZN 'secretly' seek guidance from DA-led council for improved governance

Even with the criticism levelled against President Cyril Ramaphosa for suggesting ANC-led municipalities seek governance assistance from DA-led municipalities, some ANC-led councils in KwaZulu-Natal had already visited the DA-led Umngeni Local Municipality for guidance on good governance.

This was revealed by the DA-led Umngeni Local Municipality Mayor Chris Pappas on Wednesday.

On Monday, during the unveiling of the party’s Service Delivery Action in Gauteng, Ramaphosa's remarks angered some within the ANC.

He told councillors that DA-led municipalities were outperforming those led by the ANC and instructed them to seek assistance from DA-led councils. This statement was widely interpreted as an endorsement of the DA, especially with local government elections approaching next year, and drew significant criticism.

However, Pappas, who is the only DA mayor in the province, said there was no need for the hullabaloo on what the president said since the ANC-led municipalities had already been doing that.

He stated that so far, three municipalities in the province have visited and shared administrative strategies with his management staff.

He refused to name the ANC-led councils since it was confidential because they feared reprisal from their political principals.

He revealed that Abaqulusi Local Municipality officials visited his municipality, saying he is naming the IFP-led municipality because they did not ask him to keep their engagement secret. He further revealed that there are municipality officials who also visit his municipality without declaring to their principals out of fear.

“The DA-led uMngeni Municipality welcomes President Ramaphosa’s call for ANC-run municipalities to visit DA-run municipalities to learn about good governance and a strong anti-corruption ethos. So far, we have hosted delegations from at least three ANC- and IFP-run municipalities who have come to learn from our governance approach, and we will continue to welcome others seeking to improve their service delivery.

“I can give you Abaqulusi because they were happy to take pictures and share. The others came in secret. We have also had officials come here not declaring to their principals out of fear,” said Pappas.

Abaqulusi Municipality spokesperson, Dr Siphamandla Gumede, had promised to respond; however, he had not done so at the time of publication.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za