Hon Deputy Speaker, the ANC is concerned that the DA is laying the blame for service delivery protests at the ANC's feet instead of addressing the genuine grievances of the poor communities in the Western Cape, where the DA governs. This year alone, quite a few major protest actions took place in the Western Cape, in areas such as Villiersdorp, Grabouw, Sir Lowry's Pass, Malawi Camp, Freedom Park, Phumlani Village and Sweet Home Farm, to name a few. The widespread service delivery protests which engulfed the Western Cape can never be at the instigation of the ANC, but should be laid at the door of the poor service delivery record of the DA in poor Western Cape communities.
Just last week, without any consultation, the DA in Drakenstein reduced the free units of electricity of indigents. That was after deciding unilaterally that families could no longer bury their deceased where they stayed but had to bury them in Hermon, 35 km away from Paarl.
The ANC is calling on the DA to desist from playing politics with serious issues affecting poor communities and conducting witch hunts to lay the blame elsewhere. It should rather deliver services to all the people in the communities of the Western Cape, regardless of their status. These protests expose the DA government's lack of will to address issues in poorer communities.
The ANC remains committed to addressing the challenges facing all our communities to speed up the provision of services such as roads, water, infrastructure, sanitation and electricity. Together, we can do more, and we call on the DA to do their bit.