GOOD Statement by Brett Herron, Unite for Change Leadership Council member and GOOD member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament:
The DA is seeking to woo the EFF in the Theewaterskloof Municipality to support the unlawful summary dismissal of a senior manager without implementing regulated disciplinary processes.
On offer as an inducement to the EFF’s sole councillor in Theewaterskloof is a senior position as an MMC or chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee, in return for voting in favour of the dismissal.
The DA’s plan is to replace the GOOD Party in the coalition running the municipality. GOOD has steadfastly resisted DA Mayor Lincoln De Bruyn’s wilful interference in the administration of disciplinary procedures and subversion of labour legislation. The EFF is however, unlikely to agree to pitch in to clean up the DA’s mess.
GOOD’s insistence that due process be followed was vindicated last week by the Arbitration Forum.
The Council suspended the senior manager on 3 April 2025. Seven months later, there has been no disciplinary process. The municipality summarily withheld the employee’s salary and stated that he was no longer regarded as an employee. The unlawfulness of an employer unilaterally withholding the salary of an employee is common knowledge in South Africa.
Last week, the suspended manager took the Municipality to the Arbitration Forum, securing a settlement agreement against the municipality in terms of which he was reinstated as an employee, will receive his salary backdated to when it was unlawfully withheld, and the municipality will pay R40 000 to cover his legal costs.
These events expose two glaring DA hypocrisies:
- The party has repeatedly claimed that the main purpose of it joining the Government of National Unity was to keep the EFF out of government. When its leader John Steenhuisen joined President Ramaphosa’s delegation to the White House in May, Steenhuisen told President Trump that the DA was the barrier between government and the Dubul’ ibhunu (Kill the Boer) singing EFF.
- The party pays lip service to the rule of law when convenient. Twelve months ago GOOD raised concerns with the DA about the Mayor’s poor understanding of the administration of local government. The concerns are recorded in the October 2024 addendum to our coalition agreement. The DA leadership made a written commitment to ensure that their Mayor would act within the coalition agreement, the system of delegations, local government legislation and joint caucus rules, and undertook in writing to hold him accountable. This has clearly not occurred.
After learning that the DA had approached the EFF to vote with it against good governance, GOOD’s councillors requested an urgent joint caucus this morning which the DA declined. I have therefore written to the DA to record that GOOD regards its conduct as a breach of our Coalition Agreement and incompatible with good and stable governance.
The maladministration and wanton abuse of public funds were easily avoidable had the Mayor and his DA councillors simply followed the rule of law and allowed the regulated process to unfold without their interference.
Theewaterskloof’s leadership should be focused on addressing service delivery backlogs and implementing the Municipal Financial Recovery Plan prepared in collaboration with National and Provincial Treasury.
GOOD Education: The party emphasizes the need for quality education and skills development.
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