Cape Town - Western Cape ANC chairman Marius Fransman has accused the DA-led government of “gerrymandering” to help it maintain its majority in municipalities in the Western Cape.
The department of local government confirmed that municipalities affected by boundary re-determinations include the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Witzenberg, Drakenstein, Stellenbosch, Breede Valley, Langeberg, Overberg District, Theewaterskloof, Overstrand, Cape Agulhas, Swellendam, Hessequa, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Kannaland and the City of Cape Town.
Demarcation changes have been a hotly-contested issue around the country affecting service delivery and partypolitics while sparking violent protests.
The ANC claims the provincial government is trying to get the borders in municipalities redrawn months before the local government elections.
“Redrawing the boundaries would in many cases undermine and dilute opposition strongholds while boosting the electoral advantage of the DA,” Fransman said.
Highlighting that the ANC was getting battle-ready for next year’s polls, Fransman said it had been brought to the party’s attention that the DA and Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, in particular, was trying to manipulate the drafting of boundaries in such a way that it essentially helped the DA.
Refuting Fransman’s claims, Bredell stressed that while the process of municipal boundary determination was a consultative process with relevant stakeholders and the public, any municipal demarcation determination was independently decided by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), a national and independent entity over which he has no control.
Bredell said the ANC provincial leader could contact the board for clarity on any decision with regards to changes to municipal boundaries.
Fransman, however, explained that while there was a demarcation board nationally, every MEC of local government in the country would be the co-ordinating point for all submissions.
“Basically we’ve found out that the MEC has quietly been engaging with municipalities, conflating his role as the MEC and DA chairman, while punting the DA’s agenda. Bredell is pushing the DA’s submissions into the provincial government’s submissions to the Demarcation Board,” Fransman claimed.
And the ANC provincial leader claims that there was obvious evidence in Theewaterskloof, Swartland, George and even Drakenstein.
Citing the proposed changes to boundaries in Malmesbury along the N7 highway as an example, Fransman said: “The DA has tried to cross cut wards and voting districts even if does not make any sense”.
But the MEC stressed that the municipal boundary determinations/re-determinations was formulated based on prescribed factors as contained in section 25 of the Act.
Fransman said, during recent discussions, the ANC’s provincial executive committee had decided to register its concerns with the national Demarcation Board.
Cape Argus