Latest news with #DA-led
IOL News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Minister receives report on George building collapse
The George building collapse was the result of systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders, says Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. He reiterated that accountability could not be optional when human lives were lost as a result of human error. The minister on Monday confirmed he has received the final report from the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), via its body the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) on the tragedy. On May 6, 2024, a five-storey building collapsed in George claiming the lives of 34 people and leaving 28 others injured. Macpherson said the report marked a critical step in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure's commitment to uncover the truth behind what he described as a preventable disaster and to ensure those responsible are held accountable. 'As the Department, we will now carefully study the report to develop a pathway forward to ensure that a tragedy such as the George building collapse never happens again. As I have previously committed, after studying the report, I will personally return to George to present the findings of this report to the families affected by this tragedy. They deserve to hear directly from us, not through the media, about what went wrong and how we intend to rectify it,' Macpherson said. He emphasised that the collapse was the result of systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders. He added that the Department will continue to work with the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and other relevant regulatory bodies to ensure accountability. 'As I have said before, the collapse of the George building was entirely preventable, and we will therefore work towards accountability and address any errors that may have been identified. By working together, we are ensuring a safe and secure construction sector for all stakeholders,' Macpherson said. Last week George councillor, Chantelle Kyd resigned from the Planning and Development Mayoral Committee over what she said was the DA-led municipality's lack of transparency over the confidential tabling of reports on the building collapse. The GOOD councillor tendered her resignation, saying it was not an easy decision but that she could not stay in an executive role where 'truth is suppressed' and 'accountability is avoided'. 'It is unacceptable that the DA would choose to table critical reports behind closed doors, bar the media, and deny coalition partners the opportunity to address the public truthfully.' DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said the position to table the item as confidential was a 'collective decision'. 'The position on the specific item in question was adopted by the Joint Coalition Caucus as all parties agreed to its recommendations. Furthermore, as GOOD communicated in recent weeks on the matter publicly, GOOD was informed that it could issue a party-political statement on the matter following the council meeting. So in no way were GOOD George sidelined, marginalised or censored while a member of the coalition government,' said Simmers.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Councillor resigns over 'lack of transparency' on George building collapse
The scene of the five-storey building that claimed 34 lives when it collapsed in George. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers GEORGE councillor, Chantelle Kyd has resigned from Planning and Development Mayoral Committee over what she says is the DA-led municipality's lack of transparency over the confidential tabling of reports on the George building collapse. More than a year since the May 6 tragedy, several investigations and numerous promises of accountability have yet to result in any justice for the families of the victims of the George building collapse, which claimed the lives of 34 workers and left dozens injured. The GOOD councillor on Friday tendered her resignation, saying it was not an easy decision but that she could not stay in an executive role where 'truth is suppressed, accountability is avoided, and coalition partners are treated with contempt rather than respect'. Kyd said: 'The DA-led coalition in George has increasingly demonstrated a deep disregard for the principles of co-governance. There has been a consistent and deliberate pattern of sidelining, marginalising, and censoring coalition partners. This pattern extends to matters of national importance, such as the investigation into the building collapse, an issue I have been centrally involved in. Despite being the MMC responsible for Planning, I was effectively gagged (in council) from speaking on the very matter I was mandated to lead on. 'It is unacceptable that the DA would choose to table critical reports behind closed doors, bar the media, and deny coalition partners the opportunity to address the public truthfully. This behaviour is authoritarian, and it erodes the foundation of partnership and accountability upon which coalitions should be built.' Kyd accused the DA of expecting coalition partners to 'simply fall in line, regardless of principle, process, or public interest'. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said the position to table the item as confidential was a 'collective decision'. 'Contrary to their statement, the position on the specific item in question was adopted by the Joint Coalition Caucus as all parties agreed to its recommendations - which included GOOD's participation - not solely by the DA caucus. This was a collective decision that all coalition partners were thus expected to uphold. "Furthermore, as GOOD communicated in recent weeks on the matter publicly, GOOD was informed that it could issue a party-political statement on the matter following the council meeting. So in no way were GOOD George sidelined, marginalised or censored while a member of the coalition government. The DA remains firmly committed to stable, principled, and effective coalition governance we form part off and wherever we serve, guided by the spirit and terms of the agreed upon coalition agreement which binds all parties that are part of the coalition government,' said Simmers. The George municipality did not respond to further requests for comment.
Eyewitness News
5 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Tshwane says revenue generated from new cleansing levy will go towards fixing landfill sites
JOHANNESBURG - The Tshwane Municipality said revenue generated from its new tariff, the city cleansing levy, will go towards fixing its dysfunctional landfill sites. On Thursday, the Tshwane council passed its annual budget for the 2025 / 2026 financial year. The budget includes the R194 a month city cleansing levy that will be charged to customers using private waste collection services. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has criticised the new tariff, saying the city is double-charging over-burdened ratepayers since private waste collectors also pay landfill site fees. However, MMC for Finance Eugene Modise said the current administration is trying to fix issues it inherited from previous DA-led coalition governments. 'We as this executive, went to conduct oversight in all our landfill sites and there is none that have got a lifespan of more than three years as we speak. There is a moratorium that says we cannot apply for landfill sites. All of them, the weighbridges are not functional. Who was in power? What did they do? So, we are going to make sure the landfill sites are fully functional and access controlled.'
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
ANC caucus supports DA-led budget in uMngeni Municipality
The ANC is an official opposition party in the council it had previously controlled since the inception of local government, until 2021 when the DA took control of the municipality. In a surprise move, the ANC caucus in the DA-led Umngeni Local Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, voted for the budget which many believed was an endorsement of the DA local government plan ahead of next year's elections. The R674.4 million budget was tabled by Mayor Chris Pappas and was passed by all parties on Wednesday. The DA has been hailing its municipalities, including uMngeni, as the beacon of hope and shining examples of what a good governance looks like, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal where many municipalities have been flagged for poor financial management by the Auditor-General's report. UMngeni is one of the few best performing municipalities in the province. This year, the municipality received its third consecutive unqualified audit outcome. Despite seemingly working well under the Government of Provincial Unity, the DA and the ANC are at each other's throats in the local government sphere, particularly in eThekwini. The DA has rarely voted for a budget in the ANC-led municipalities in the province. In defending the ANC's decision, party whip Thulani Weza said his caucus supported the budget because the DA had enough consultation with opposition parties and their input was incorporated in the budget, however, he said the ANC will monitor the implementation of the promises in the budget.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Community activists accuse DA-led City of undemocratic practices
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Image: City of Cape Town/Supplied CIVIL society organisations have described as undemocratic the City's decision to allegedly deny the opportunity to attend the tabling of the budget on Wednesday. Advocate Rod Solomons, convenor of the #SA1stForum and coordinator of the Push Back Against the City Of Cape Town's Proposed Unaffordable Rates and Service Increases campaign, had planned to attend after he was invited by a councillor, until he was informed guests were no longer allowed to attend the meeting. In a notice, the City noted that 'limited seating' was available for councillors' guests and media only. 'Interested members of the public can follow the meeting via a live audio feed on Youtube'. GOOD councillor Wesley Neumann noted that they were informed seating had been reserved for officials who worked on the budget document and members of the media. However, pictures of the gallery on the day seemingly showed scores of empty seats which could have accommodated members of the public with a vested interest in the meeting. Solomons said: 'The DA is supposedly the paragon of openness and regularly took the national government to court to demand transparency. The decision by the DA-led City of Cape Town to prohibit members of the public from attending the upcoming Council meeting where the Mayor will introduce the budget is deeply concerning and fundamentally undemocratic. This threatens the open and transparent governance that residents of Cape Town deserve and undermines the principles of accountability and public participation that are vital to a healthy democracy. ' He said transparency must be preserved to ensure that the budget process remains open, inclusive, and accountable to the people it serves. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Speaker Felicity Purchase said Wednesday's Special Council and Ordinary Council meeting were open, public meetings given that proceedings were livestreamed. 'Only the in-committee portion of the meeting is closed to the public as has always been the practice.' Purchase said she determines and gives approval to individuals who request gallery access. 'Given that gallery seating is limited, my office cannot accommodate all requests. My office often receives group requests and has accommodated members of the public, students, choirs, sports teams, local, national and international delegations and must prioritize seating accordingly. 'In this instance… gallery access was prioritised for officials who worked on the budget and accredited members of the press as per my determination as Speaker.' 'Over the last few weeks my Office has also had reports from many councillors who have received death threats and cases have been opened with SAPS in this regard. As such we are also being cautious to protect and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our public representatives,' Purchase said. Mayor Gordin Hill-Lewis in a statement said they had listened to the public and adjusted the budget. 'Extending the 'first R450 000 rates-free' benefit to all homes up to R7 million property valuation (up from R5m). More pensioners to benefit by raising the qualifying threshold to R27 000 monthly income per household (up from R22 000), regardless of property value, SA's widest criteria for pensioner support. Reducing City-wide cleaning charges for all residential properties under R20m compared to the tabled March 2025/26 budget. A pensioner rebate for City-Wide Cleaning has also been included, which will offer up to 100% off this charge. Lower fixed water charges for property value bands between R1m and R25m compared to the March tabled budget draft. 'The above relief measures will lead to lower total monthly bills compared to the March budget. From July, the per unit electricity charge for customers on the Home User and Domestic tariffs is going down. This is made possible by discontinuing the 10% cost embedded in electricity prices that previously paid for city-wide cleaning. We have considered the petition by the Cape Town Collective Ratepayers Association, which calls for the raising of electricity prices instead of a City-Wide Cleaning Tariff. Our modelling shows this will negatively impact households, and that it is better to pursue other means of relief,' said Hill-Lewis.
