DA Metsimaholo striving for better service delivery despite coalition government hampering delivery

SASOLBURG - The Democratic Alliance in Metsimaholo says it has 12 seats in the municipal council and thus has not had an outright majority, which can make any decision-making problematic and hamper service delivery. DA Metsimaholo Councillor, Jacques Barnard, said in a statement the rest of the council is composed of 16 ANC seats, 12 EFF seats, 3 FF+ seats, 1 MCA, 1 ATM and 1 AIC. Barnard says even though Executive Mayor, Councillor Jeff Zwane, was nominated and elected unopposed in December 2021, the Democratic Alliance does not have an outright majority in Council and thus they depend on other parties to vote with them when decisions need to be made on behalf of residents. He said in such scenarios, it is easy for political parties outside of government to push their agenda and remove the DA from Mayoral positions. It goes without saying how these disruptions negatively impact service delivery operations. Barnard says without the majority mandate from Metsimaholo voters, they are faced with challenges of political interference by an ANC/EFF majority and often a hostile administration that makes it difficult to advance the proposed DA service delivery-driven budgets.

This poses threats to ensuring that quality services are rendered to residents. The DA’s mandate of getting things right and improving services to residents still stands. Dependable electricity, clean water, reliable refuse removal, protection from criminals, well-maintained roads, bylaw enforcement, and knowing that public money is safely kept and responsibly spent are all critical for communities, investors, and entrepreneurs alike. The DA will continue to strive to provide good services and govern in the best interest of the people to convince residents to give the DA an outright majority in future elections.

PHOTO: (The Citizen)