Alex Ward, 108 councillor, clashes with DA over fire aid
ANC councillor Deborah Francisco allegedly disrupted the DA’s donation to fire victims in Alexandra, accusing the party of undermining her authority by coordinating fire relief efforts in her ward without her knowledge.
A Democratic Alliance (DA) donation drive meant to comfort fire victims in Alexandra’s Ward 108 has ignited tensions between the DA and ANC councillor Deborah Francisco.
On July 25, DA members arrived bearing blankets for residents displaced by the July 18 blaze. But they were met with resistance. Francisco allegedly ordered them to ‘take the donations back,’ insisting that no political activity could occur in her ward without her knowledge.
Read more: Francisco accuses DA of overstepping in Ward 108 fire aid
“The councillor of the ANC came and disrupted the handover, claiming this is her ward and she does not want people coming here without her knowledge and giving out blankets. This was also a way of doing our party’s birthday blanket drive that came so handy to the people who had nothing to their name,” DA MP and constituency head in Alexandra, Bridget Masango said.
But according to Francisco, her objection was not to the aid itself but how the DA went about it. “This is councillor Francisco’s ward. It was won by the ANC. So, what I was disputing is the way the DA is working, undermining me in my ward. They must ask for permission. When you get into somebody’s yard, you ask for permission. You don’t just get in how you like,” Francisco said.
She cited her collaboration with DA Ward 109 councillor Lori Coogan as proof of her commitment to inter-party respect, provided boundaries were observed. “I do not think I interfere with other people’s wards. You can even ask the Ward 109 councillor. I refer her cases to her, and she refers my cases to me.”
But Masango said Francisco’s actions were blind to the destitute. “I am a constituency head of the area and should not be blocked while doing political work that even the Constitution allows,” Masango said.
Francisco countered that her concern was governance, not politics. She pointed to examples where even non-ANC officials, including the Joburg council speaker Margaret Arnolds, had what she called the ‘decency’ to notify her before distributing aid. “The speaker informed me, and I was there. Even when Johannesburg Water comes to bring projects here in the ward, they talk to the councillor first.”
Masango said the DA would escalate the matter to the City of Johannesburg council, arguing that no ward should become a ‘no-go zone’ for registered political parties. Francisco, meanwhile, maintains that respect for ward boundaries is non-negotiable.
“When it comes to campaigning for members, they have every right to set up tables and campaign. I have no issue with their political work, but governance belongs to me. I don’t interfere with their wards,” Francisco concluded.
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