Cape Town – Under-fire mayor Dan Plato has defended himself against calls that he be suspended over violating the provincial government’s directive that prohibits councillors from distributing food.
The guidelines for the role of councillors during the lockdown, set out by Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, were released after a spike in complaints about councillors from both the DA and the ANC allegedly distributing food parcels only to their supporters.
The guidelines said while the services they rendered were listed as essential, councillors may only perform a service if designated in writing by the accounting officer of the municipality concerned.
Essential services for councillors included: fire and emergency services; municipal security; sanitation services and refuse collection.
The Stellenbosch municipality had launched a probe into allegations that deputy mayor Wilhelmina Petersen distributed food parcels only to DA supporters in Franschhoek.
A complaint was also lodged against Langeberg mayor Henry Jansen, who was seen in a picture embracing a councillor who had been released from prison, while Witzenberg Municipality councillor Petrus Heradien also came under fire for allegedly trying to transport seasonal workers.
In Cape Town, opposition parties have now called for Plato’s head, saying he was a law unto himself and blatantly violated the lockdown regulations
as well as the Municipal Financial
Management Act, including the ethical code for councillors.
Plato was pictured recently in Strand outside a home with a group of people and food parcels.
“The City has not taken a decision to distribute food aid. All we know is that mayor Plato is conniving in secret with donors for aid, which he then distributes to DA supporters.
"He has also been distributing kitchen equipment. He is defying Bredell. We call on the MEC to suspend him now,” said ANC leader in the City, Xolani Sotashe.
He said Plato would be reported to City speaker Dirk Smit.
Plato said yesterday that all the City’s humanitarian relief efforts were fully compliant with the spirit of national and provincial guidelines.
He said the ANC wanted to attack and disrupt every effort being made to care for the vulnerable.
“To date, the ANC has called for the province to stop school feeding schemes, has viciously attacked the City for caring for the homeless, and now they are calling on me to stop distributing emergency food relief.
“We have raised our concerns at the highest level about national regulations that obstruct and complicate efforts to care for the vulnerable.
“This ranges from attempts to centralise food relief with Sassa, to nonsensical prohibitions of cooked food,” Plato said.
Plato said he would continue to play his part in “social relief efforts”.
Bredell’s spokesperson, James-Brent Styan, referred the matter to the speaker’s office, which he said dealt with allegations against councillors.
By yesterday afternoon, speaker Dirk Smit said his office had not received a complaint about Plato’s actions.
Strand councillor Simthembile Mfecane said if Plato had been distributing food in the area it was against the law.
Good party secretary-general Brett Herron said he had raised the politicisation of food relief with the premier last month at the first Covid-19 ad hoc committee of the Western Cape parliament.
“I did so after I was alerted to DA members playing politics with food relief. A number of families in District Six were told they could not get food relief because they’re not members of the DA.
“The premier gave an undertaking that the DA itself had instructed its public reps against politicising food relief,” he said.