With no-shows and venue changes, some believe the proposed metro merger’s public participation meeting was just another ANC rally.
“The ANC knows we can win Mogale City if the municipality keeps this up,” said Alan Fuchs, Democratic Alliance (DA) Constituency Head for Mogale City, before the second public participation meeting on Friday 5 June.
During Executive Mayor councillor Koketso Calvin Seerane’s speech, he listed the benefits of merging into a metro but no negative points were mentioned, said Fuchs.
Even though most attendants were pro-metro, some were disappointed that Seerane said nothing of the no-show meeting two days before.
“The mayor did not even apologise,” Sheila Maroganye from Kagiso said.
“We had things we were supposed to do on Wednesday, but were held up waiting for representatives of Mogale City to arrive.”
Amanda de Lange, a Freedom Front Plus councillor for Mogale City was present at the no-show meeting but could not attend the meeting on Friday.
“There are many people who will not be able to make it on such short notice,” she said.
Dennis Pretorius, DA Caucus leader of the West Rand District Municipality said on Thursday afternoon DA councillors were notified of the meeting the following morning.
“It is too short notice for working people to make plans to attend.”
Jane Thupana, chairperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) said the board has not considered the matter pertaining to the West Rand case yet.
“It only has invited the public in terms of Section 26 of the Municipal Demarcation Act, 1998, to submit views and representations on its intention to consider the minister’s request. ”
According to Thupana, if the board decides to hold public meetings, it gives sufficient notice to the public, provides clarity on the purpose, venue and time of the meeting.
She said the board never has convened such meetings in relation to the West Rand.
“However, stakeholders have the right to convene meetings in preparation for putting together their views. Those are not MDB meetings,” Thupane explained.
Pretorius said the majority of attendants at the Wednesday meeting were DA supporters.
“The ANC had to come up with a plan,” he said.
Pretorius said by 4.30pm, there still was no sight of the mayor who had to address the “majority of DA supporters”.
On Friday buses with pensioners arrived at the meeting. They filled the town hall to the brim.
“This was done to ensure a larger number of ANC supporters will be present this time,” Pretorius said.
Reminiscent of the walk-out during the State of the Nation Address in February, the DA councillors and council members walked out of the hall after Fuchs had raised his concerns to Seerane.
Fuchs said he led the DA representatives out of Town Hall as a sign of rejection towards the metro propositions and inadequate process Mogale City follows.
“Despite the ANC’s efforts it is clear residents strongly oppose the merger of four municipalities into a metro – and the DA collected and handed over almost 8 000 submissions to the MDB in response,” said Solly Msimanga, DA provincial chairperson.
“People know and understand that the formation of a metro will have a detrimental effect on their quality of life; that rates will increase while service delivery declines, and that the effects of the financial drain caused by the merger will be carried for many years.”
Seerane, in his address on Friday, said the merger “is taking the West Rand forward and bettering the lives of the Mogale City community”.
Nkosana Zali, Mogale City spokesperson failed to comment by the time of going to print.
