Mkhonto points to officials for party’s loss
ALEXANDRA – Mkhonto says that blind trust is the cause of the party's national election loss.
Shadrack Mkhonto, DA proportional representative councillor, anticipates a change in the fortune of his party at the 2021 local government elections.
“By then, the public will have known and felt the exponential benefits from an accumulation of our successes in service delivery over a full five year term of the DA administration,” he said when reviewing the party’s slump at the national and provincial elections, which saw the ANC get an over 50 percent skip to enable its single-handed rule of the province.
“In the local government elections, the electorate will want to be reminded of our success, which currently includes 11 000 jobs created, conversion of outsourced security guards’ jobs into permanent contracts, clinics that we have revamped, constructed and extended operating hours to, 6000 title deeds issued to homeowners and the resurfacing of hundreds of kilometers of roads. By the next elections, these will have compounded to include successes in other areas of service delivery and improvements in the lives of many city residents.”
Downplaying the ANC’s victory, Mkhonto said the party also lost significant provincial legislature seats, signalling a waning of fortunes he believed will continue to plummet when residents of cities governed by the DA will not want their benefits reduced again, as it did before the DA’s administration.
He claimed that the DA’s loss nationally was proportionally less than that of the ANC, adding that their win was boosted by the personality and character of their presidential candidate. “People across party lines wanted to see a new face at the helm to drive the new dawn theme, and Ramaphosa’s affable character and commitment to rout corruption gained him public favour, which the ANC has taken advantage of.”
He also downplayed the EFF and FF+’s increased votes, saying they were derived from a growing population of youth still seeking a political home and disgruntled DA members who couldn’t stand the changing demographics and leadership of the party.
He attributed his party’s loss to alleged negative campaign methods by desperate members of the opposition who influenced protests during the campaigns to deviate the gullible public attention from years of the previous administration’s failures that they attributed to the DA.
“Officials from the previous administrations were allegedly used as the dirty hands. Our blind trust enabled them to connive with protest organisers to slow down particularly the refuse removal services in the township to create an impression of council’s failure in service delivery.”
He ruled out this conduct happening in the local government elections, saying council was working on systems to ensure service delivery is not impeded. “There will be an intermediary of trained employees between the councillor and the residents and ward committees to ensure uninterrupted service delivery and implementation of budgeted projects.”
Mkhonto commended current investigations on corruption that stalled the delivery of housing and other services and said it will assist council to start on a clean slate. He urged information sources and whistle blowers with evidence on corruption not to be intimidated or threatened.
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