KIMBERLEY – A city resident has opened a criminals case at the Galeshewe police station against the MEC HOD of COGHSTA and the premier of the Northern Cape.
MP Grantham Steenkamp, DA’s Northern Cape spokesperson of COGHSTA, says: “After countless failed attempts to hold COGHSTA accountable for its role in the dire state of municipalities I have, as a frustrated citizen of the Northern Cape, laid a criminal charge against the MEC and HOD of COGHSTA as well as the Premier, for dereliction of duty and their failure to ensure oversight of local government.
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“As a member of the provincial legislature, I have utilised a range of mechanisms at my disposal to raise local government issues. Yet, I still don’t get replies to my letters, or answers in portfolio committee meetings. I didn’t even get a sense of hope that I was being taken seriously during an eventual one-on-one meeting with MEC Bentley Vass himself. Even requests to summons the errant Sol Plaatje municipality to account for the 106 Report and the prolonged suspensions of the Municipal Manager and Chief Financial Officer, have come to nil.”
“It is therefore little wonder that Sol Plaatje municipality finds itself in such a volatile position with community protests flaring up all over Kimberley.”
“The same will happen all over the province because people are fed-up.”
“I by no means condone any form of criminal activity in respect of protest action. But I do understand the frustration of living amongst sewerage, experiencing intermittent water cuts, of becoming a victim to crime because there is no lighting, or damaging my tyres because of potholes.”
“The capital city is falling apart. Towns across the province are broken. The buck has to stop somewhere!”
“We have a very serious problem when the premier cannot hold the COGHSTA MEC accountable, the MEC cannot hold municipalities accountable and the legislature cannot hold any of them accountable.”
“I have been informed that the case (CAS 03/2021) I opened at the Galeshewe Police Station earlier this week has been escalated to the Hawks. Given the fact that I am in possession of fraud and corruption related evidence relating to municipalities, I will also be handing it over to them.”
“I hope this desperate attempt to hold government accountable will have some kind of an impact on service delivery,” Steenkamp concludes.