CAPE TOWN – The SACP in the Central Karoo has described the election of Gayton Mckenzie as Central Karoo District Municipality (CKDM) mayor as “shocking” and an act of “political expediency and opportunism”.
The SACP in the region said it learnt with dismay about the swearing-in of Patriotic Alliance (PA) president Mckenzie.
“This uncontested election is shocking but not surprising as it is an act of political expediency and opportunism.
“Mckenzie was expeditiously sworn-in on Thursday, in Laingsburg municipal council thus paving the way for his ascendency into the district mayoral position.”
The PA/ANC/Karoo Development Forum (KDF) coalition agreement shifted to give governance control of the CKDM to the PA, with the PA president occupying the mayoral seat, the SACP said.
They rejected the coalition and election of McKenzie as mayor.
“We will work on the ground to galvanise and agitate communities to rise against these opportunistic tendencies that squander the development prospects and the overall future of central karoo.”
“The people of the central karoo have been subjected to coalition arrangements which have turned out to be disastrous in terms of governance, sound financial management and efficient service delivery.
“The people of central karoo deserve a credible people centred government for their own sustainable development and not self-centred opportunists.”
They alleged Mckenzie’s ambition was to dispense patronage buy votes and make connected insiders rich.
“For the ANC to be in a coalition with an organisation of convicted criminals as a minority partner exposes political bankruptcy and desperation to cling to power at all costs.
“This coalition has nothing to do with the attainment of the manifesto of the ANC hence the ANC in the region finds itself redundant and rejected by the masses that used to fully support the movement.
“The situation is also exposing us to the fact that we have for a very long time ignored the reality of a decaying political leadership that is driven by self-enrichment and that we have long ceased to be volunteer activist for change on behalf of the ANC.
“The urgent task of renewal is long-overdue, to root-out these elements who seek to liquidate the movement for short-term selfish interests.
“The conduct of the ANC leadership in this region is antithetical to the immediate task of the very same ANC’s organisational renewal.
“Therefore, we call on the ANC interim provincial committee to intervene in this region to deepen revolutionary morality and renewal doctrine,” the SACP said.
Cape Times