Dramatic Song, Disturbing Priorities – Municipality Must Explain Wasteful Spending

GOOD Statement by Keagen Gertse, GOOD Drakenstein Councillor & Caucus Whip:

The launch of the Drakenstein “anthem” may be intended to promote pride, but what it reveals instead is a deeply troubling set of municipal priorities and a worrying use of public funds in a time of growing hardship.

At a time when residents are grappling with electricity failures, service delivery breakdowns, and the daily struggles of inequality, the Drakenstein Municipality has chosen to spend money on a professionally produced jingle, a Councillor gala dinner, and free meals for staff. These are not the actions of a government committed to fiscal prudence or pro-poor development.

The GOOD Party will be submitting formal questions to Council to uncover the full cost of the anthem project including composition, production, studio time, licensing, and marketing. We will also demand details on the cost of the Councillor gala dinner, how many municipal employees were catered for, at what cost, and through which procurement process.

This kind of expenditure is not harmless fluff, it is an insult to residents who are calling for real service delivery. Imagine hosting a banquet for the political elite on a Wednesday, only to face mass protest and unrest over electricity on the Thursday. This isn’t governance, it’s theatre.

This municipality is run by the very DA that President Cyril Ramaphosa recently praised as a “gold standard” for clean governance. But there is nothing clean about inequality. A song does not fix potholes, feed hungry children, or prevent sewage from flooding homes.

The Drakenstein anthem may speak of “unity” but unity does not exist where privilege and pageantry are prioritised over basic needs. South Africans deserve more than clean audits and clever lyrics. They deserve leadership that understands that governance is not about branding exercises, it is about service, justice, and dignity.

GOOD will continue to demand answers, accountability, and a complete breakdown of the costs involved in this vanity project.

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