The Midvaal Municipality, for years a flagship administration of the Democratic Alliance, has come in for criticism, having invited a party leader to speak at its State of the Municipality Address.
ActionSA’s Gauteng leader, Funzi Ngobeni, said that his party had written to Midvaal mayor Peter Teixeira, challenging the invitation to Solly Msimanga. Msimanga is the leader of the DA in Gauteng. Ngobeni said that the DA had used state resources for party purposes.
‘As a party which adheres to ethical leadership,’ Ngobeni said in a statement, ‘ActionSA believes that no government resource or platform should be used to advance the interest of a single political party when it is intended to represent the interest of all residents.’
He noted that the DA was critical of state resources being used to advance the ANC’s interests; it was hypocritical to emulate the latter’s behaviour.
These sentiments were echoed by the Xiluva party leader (and erstwhile mayor of Midvaal), who termed this a ‘new low for the DA.’ Its conduct in this matter was a ‘massive erosion of the separation of powers between political parties and the state, and principles of good governance. This is an affront to the residents of Midvaal.’