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Together with residents in Beaufort West, the DA today held a picket outside the Central Karoo District Municipality (CKDM), demanding answers around the R3 million that the Patriotic Alliance (PA) raised for service deliver in the area.
The PA made a very clear promise to residents that these funds will be used to improve service delivery. Neither the municipality, nor the residents in the Central Karoo, have seen a single cent of the R3 million and service deliver remains as poor as ever.
In recent media reports, McKenzie confirmed that the R3 million was paid into a trust that he owns. McKenzie clearly did not intend to use the money for service delivery, and since trusts earn significant interest, he is reaping the benefits.
In their latest Municipal Financial Sustainability Index report, Ratings Afrika gave the Beaufort West municipality a dismal score of 21 out of 100, confirming that Beaufort West has become the worst-performing municipality in the country.
This report, together with the R3 million that was never used to uplift the community, unequivocally confirms the PA’s commitment poor service delivery and financial mismanagement.
We note that a complaint was submitted last year to the Public Protector (PP) to investigate the matter. The DA caucus in the CKDM has followed up with the PP, but no feedback has been received yet. Due to the gravity of this matter, we make a serious call to the PP to conclude their investigation urgently.
The DA will not stand idly by while the PA, together with their partners the ANC, continue to neglect the needs of the Central Karoo and its people. We call on residents to join us in demanding accountability from the PA and for a change in leadership that prioritises the well-being and prosperity of our municipality.