Kimberley by-election: PA vows to kick ANC out again in Ward 1

KIMBERLEY – The president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), Gayton McKenzie, says his party will again be victorious in the by-election in Ward 1 in Roodepan and Platfontein in the Sol Plaatje Municipality on 23 July.

The PA also plans to convince the organisers of a planned “shutdown” on 14 July to vote the ANC out rather than shut down roads.

“These protests against bad service delivery have not achieved much in the past 31 years. Voting the ANC out of power will bring about real change,” McKenzie said during his visit to Kimberley on Monday, 8 July.

The by-election comes after McKenzie fired previous PA councillor Johan Loff on a live broadcast on Facebook because Loff “failed to attend three council meetings”.

Their new ward candidate is Rufaro van der Ross, who is a PR councillor. McKenzie said they will bring in a resident of Platfontein as the new PR councillor after the by-election.

This comes after two by-elections in the same ward in the past few years. In the last one, the ANC lost its majority in the council and now relies on Good to push through its plans.

‘Democracy must be respected’

The Kimberley Action Group (KAG) is planning to close all roads on Monday, 14 July, in a protest against unaffordable electricity prices. Some of the organisers say they “have had enough after 31 years of poor service delivery”. They have been held hostage too long and people are afraid.

McKenzie plans to exploit this situation.

“We are going to speak to the organisers to get the message across. Democracy must be respected, and people must realise the power of the vote. Rather than burn tyres, vote the ANC out of power. It is as simple as that.”

Ward 1 comprises parts of Platfontein and Roodepan, where the ANC-led government has held several government events and launches in the past two months.

McKenzie says this is “typical of the ANC”.

“Why are all the government programmes in Roodepan and Platfontein and not in Homestead and Colville? The sad thing is that it is ANC electioneering in which they use government money. It is very unethical to use taxpayers’ money for election campaigns.

“The ANC will never win. They can hand out as many SMME containers as they want with the premier’s face painted on it. They had 30 years to improve people’s lives, but have not done so. The streets are still full of sewage. The potholes are everywhere here. It is an utter disgrace to still have sack toilets in Platfontein after 30 years of democracy.”

“I say to voters: take the food parcels, but put the cross on the ballot next to the PA. People must not be fooled by the ANC anymore.”

In recent weeks, the Northern Cape premier, Dr Zamani Saul, attended the funeral of late Chief Kamamma Mukua in Platfontein as the premier, but wore ANC regalia.

Several programmes launched in Ward 1

The following programmes were recently presented by the Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG) in Ward 1:

• Launching of its Basic Education Employment Initiative on 20 June at Roodepan Primary School.
• The province’s Youth Day celebration was held on 16 June at the Lucretia Primary School, also in Roodepan.
• The Sol Plaatje Municipality and the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development cleaned up Harvestime Park in Roodepan on 20 June to highlight the “role of youth in agriculture and rural development”. Free veterinary services were offered and a youth market day was planned.
• On 27 June, the Youth Voices to Take Centre Stage event was held at Platfontein. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture hosted the Youth Month Social Cohesion Dialogue at the !XunKhwesa Combined School in Platfontein in collaboration with the !Khu and Khwe communities.
• MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Mase Manopole, led a comprehensive food security programme in Roodepan on 4 July. The initiative includes the establishment of food gardens and the handover of gardening equipment to selected disadvantaged institutions.
• The Northern Cape Department of Health advertised a Health and Wellness Walk on 9 July from the Roodepan Police Station towards the Dr Torres Clinic, Roodepan. The planned programme included “free” health screenings (blood pressure, diabetes, HIV testing), energising aerobics sessions, health tips from healthcare experts, community walking activities and health information on chronic disease management. The event was later cancelled.
• On 27 June, the premier, MEC for Coghsta, Bentley Vass, and MEC for Roads and Public Works, Fufe Makatong, introduced an appointed contractor to Roodepan as part of the One Billion Rand Housing Projects in Jacksonville, Roodepan. With town planning completed, the second phase entails installation of civil services, including sewerage, water, electricity, stormwater drainage, and paved or tarred roads.
• On 28 June, Premier Dr Zamani Saul, alongside MECs Mangaliso Matika and Bentley Vass, Sol Plaatje Municipality executive mayor Barbara Bartlett, and Speaker Dipuo Peters, attended the funeral of the late Chief Kamamma Mukua in Platfontein.
• On another occasion, Saul donated R250 000 to support the !XunKhwesa Combined School’s matric learners. In its advertising, the NCPG says the “powerful intervention is more than financial, it’s a vote of confidence in the potential of Platfontein’s youth.”
• Saul, “as a gesture of appreciation,” also spent time with the dedicated Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners in Platfontein, and committed to a once-off donation of R4 000 to each of the 21 ECD practitioners to “support their important work”.
• Saul, together with the MEC for Education, Abraham Vosloo, “initiated” the Basic Education Employment Initiative at Roodepan Primary School. It provides employment opportunities for 4 838 young people across various roles such as curriculum assistants, e-cadres, reading champions, care and support assistants, sport enrichment assistants, and laboratory and workshop assistants. An additional R70 000 was donated to ten schools each to support learning materials, maintenance, and infrastructure improvements.