Agb Voorsitter, ek wil begin deur vir die agb Minister te s ... [Hon Chairperson, I would like to start by saying to the hon Minister ...]
Hon Minister, Ficksburg is proof that police matters are not compatible with local government matters. Let me be quite honest and say that you should request the hon President to release you from the acting position you are in and which you hold at the moment. You are neglecting police matters. You know, if foreigners were to come into South Africa and look at the media, they would say that they only see a commissioner; they do not see any Minister of Police. It seems as if there is no Minister. [Interjections.]
The ANC made many promises in this election. There was one promise they made which I thought was not a bad one. That promise was that the ANC - and the President, himself, said it - would get rid of corrupt officials, corrupt councillors, and people who were engaged in maladministration on local government level, and that the ANC would deal decisively with those people.
Maar, agb Minister, as ek nou vanoggend die nuus luister, kom die ANC en vat die geskorste munisipale bestuurder van die Tswaing-munisipaliteit en hulle maak hom die uitvoerende burgemeester van 'n distriksmunisipaliteit. Daardie munisipale bestuurder was geskors weens wanadministrasie, korrupsie, bedrog en diefstal, maar hy word net eenvoudig herontplooi. Met ander woorde, u het 'n valse belofte aan die kiesers gemaak. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[However, hon Minister, when I listened to the news bulletin this morning, I heard that the ANC appointed the suspended municipal manager of the Tswaing Local Municipality as executive mayor of a district municipality. That municipal manager was suspended for maladministration, corruption, fraud, and theft; nonetheless, he simply gets redeployed. In other words, you made a false promise to the electorate.]
By the way, hon Minister, I want to say that the time has come to abolish district municipal councils, because they are only a dumping ground for cadre deployment and you are wasting the taxpayers' money. Abolish district municipal councils. There is no need for them; there is no use for them.
Dit ges, wil ek ook vir die DA s dat hulle ook die kiesers mislei het. Hulle het die groot belofte gemaak dat Potchefstroom deur die DA regeer sal word. Hulle het die kiesers op sleeptou geneem. Hulle het smeerveldtogte gevoer om te vertel hoe die DA Potchefstroom gaan oorneem. Die DA kon nie eens twee wyke in die bruin woongebied van Promosa oorneem nie. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Toe dr Pieter Mulder 'n perskonferensie gehou het en ges het dat die DA nie in die noorde enige munisipaliteite sal wen nie, was die joernaliste kwaad vir hom, want hy het nie die boodskap gegee wat hulle graag wou hoor nie. Hulle was kwaad vir hom. Hy het ges ek moet tog die joernaliste om verskoning vra, want hy het ges hy sien, hoogstens, dat 'n koalisie van opposisiepartye dalk Port Elizabeth se metro kan regeer. Hy was verkeerd. Hy vra om verskoning dat hy daar nie korrek voorspel het nie.
As ons beloftes maak aan die kiesers, moet ons met hulle eerlik wees. Ons moet dit uitvoer. Dit is maklik om clichs hier te kom gebruik vir goeie dienslewering: ons sal dit doen en ons sal dat doen. Dit moet in die praktyk bewys word. Ek dank u. [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[That being said, I would also like to say to the DA that they too had misled the electorate. They boldly promised that Potchefstroom would be governed by the DA. They were stringing the electorate along. They orchestrated smear campaigns in order to advocate how the DA would take over Potchefstroom. Yet the DA could not even take over two wards in the coloured residential area of Promosa. [Interjections.]
When Dr Mulder held a press conference and predicted that the DA would not win any municipalities in the north, the journalists were annoyed with him, for he did not convey the message that they actually wanted to hear. They were angry with him. He requested that I should apologise to the journalists all the same for his statement that, at best, a coalition of opposition parties might govern the Port Elizabeth metropolitan. He was wrong. He is apologising for not being correct in his prediction in that regard.
We should be honest with the electorate when we are making promises to them. We should implement these promises. It is easy to come here and use clichs in relation to good service delivery: that we will accomplish this or do that. However, it should be evident in our practices. I thank you. [Time expired.]]