SACP slams ANC for getting into bed with new Central Karoo mayor Gayton Mckenzie

POLITICS

The SA Communist Party (SACP) in the Central Karoo has lashed out at the ANC for entering into a coalition with an “organisation of convicted criminals”.

This after the governing party voted for Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie to become the mayor of the district.

In a statement on Tuesday, the SACP said the ANC leadership in the region was antithetical to the immediate task of organisational renewal, adding that the provincial task team should intervene in the matter.

The SACP said: 

“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 party said.

McKenzie was sworn in as a councillor during a sitting of the Laingsburg Local Municipality last Thursday. He contested the mayoral position of the Central Karoo District Municipality in the Western Cape on Monday, which he won. Laingsburg is part of the Central Karoo District Municipality.

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The ANC’s alliance partner felt that the governing party’s reputation in the region would suffer because its decision to work with the PA had nothing to do with the ANC fulfilling its promises.

“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-centered government for their own sustainable development and not self-centered opportunists.

“It is for the foregoing reasons that as the SACP in Central Karoo, we unequivocally reject this coalition and the misguided election of Gayton McKenzie as mayor. We will also 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 SACP reiterated.

After being elected, McKenzie revealed that he would not use his mayoral perks and would donate his salary.

McKenzie’s mayoral plans

“I will donate 100% of my salary. I don’t want the mayoral car, it should be sold and ambulances [must] be bought. I came with my own bodyguards paid by me, the police should go do police work. I will never claim a cent in petrol or flights [expenses]. The taxpayer looked after me in jail, I am free now,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

“I will intensify the fight against illegal immigration, I will never change my stance. The Central Karoo will lead the fight against illegal immigration. I am happy to hear that some are already packing up. I will deliver for the people, I will change the face of the Central Karoo,” he added.

He said the removal of bucket toilets in the Karoo was also a top priority.

The ANC had to form a coalition with the PA, the Karoo Gemeenskap Party and the Karoo Democratic Force in order for McKenzie to assume the mayorship.

But the SACP warned that McKenzie may be a short-term mayor who was just furthering his ambitions: 

“There is no free lunch under capitalism. McKenzie openly declared that he will serve only 12 months of the five-year term which is an immediate warning of the impending political instability that will engulf this municipality.

“There is no doubt, his long-term objective is to use his access to municipal finances and businesses in the Karoo to build a war chest for his ill-fated presidential campaign in 2024,” added the SACP.

Queenin Masuabi  Political Journalist +27 11 713 9001 Queenin.Masuabi@citypress.co.za www.citypress.co.za 69 Kingsway Rd, Auckland Park