Silence on Fundraiser a Further Breach of Public Trust

GOOD Statement by Jonathan Cupido, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor & Caucus Whip:

As the 5th of June approaches, the GOOD Party has again written to the Cape Town City Manager regarding the City’s continued failure to act on a blatant violation of its own Events Policy, namely, the DA’s use of the Jive Cape Town Funny Festival as a political fundraiser.

Our initial correspondence, sent on 23 May, was acknowledged, yet no substantive response or action has followed. This silence is both telling and troubling.

There are now rumours that the DA’s fundraiser may have been cancelled. If that is the case, the DA must issue a public statement confirming the cancellation and apologising for the attempted misuse of public funds. Quietly pulling the plug on an unethical event without accountability is not enough. Nor can the City of Cape Town be allowed to let this breach slide.

The use of a City-sponsored event, funded to the tune of R600,000 of public money, for political purposes is a direct contravention of the City’s Events Policy. That the DA sought to exploit this event to raise party funds while hiding behind the City’s official backing is not only unethical, it is potentially unlawful.

The City Manager must urgently confirm if an investigation took place and what action, if any, has been taken against the officials who failed to intervene when first notified. We reiterate our call for disciplinary steps to be taken in line with the City’s Ethics Code.

Public money must never be used for political gain. Cape Town residents deserve transparency, accountability, and governance that puts the public good ahead of party politics.

GOOD Manifesto on Economic Inclusion: Ensuring all South Africans can participate in the economy.

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