Dear Editor
Yesterday, as DA Federal Leader, I visited the town of Douglas in the Siyancuma Municipality in the Northern Cape – a community suffering the devastating consequences of neglectful governance and political mismanagement.
Across Siyancuma, residents are burdened with staggering unemployment rates, collapsing services, and the indignity of outdated sanitation systems, including bucket toilets and pit latrines. Essential services, such as reliable water provision, are absent in many areas, compelling the DA on the ground to step in with temporary solutions like providing JoJo tanks.
Actions like these by the Democratic Alliance show how committed the DA is to the rescuing of South Africa. We are a party of proud believers in the message that decline can be defeated and indignity ended.
The municipality’s reckless decisions following an ANC-EFF takeover have cost Douglas critical opportunities. An investor’s proposal to revive the dilapidated river resort into a thriving agricultural college – bringing jobs and skills – was inexplicably rejected. The municipal manager routinely appoints political cadres without consideration of proper process or budgetary constraints, further weakening service delivery and wasting precious resources duly paid by responsible residents and ratepayers. Even the local dumping site has fallen into non-compliance, becoming yet another symbol of ANC-led decay.
These failures are not abstract – they are real insults to the dignity of the people of Douglas. The people of this town, far too easily forgotten by those in power, deserve better. They deserve the DA difference.
Ward 4 faces a crucial by-election, triggered by the tragic passing of independent Mayor Wim van Bergen, who, with the proud support of the DA, began restoring good governance to Siyancuma.
To the residents of Siyancuma, we have a simple message: your dignity, your future, and your town matter to us. The DA is committed to claiming a victory in Ward 4 to build a stable, accountable local government for you. By strengthening the DA here, we lay the foundation for a comprehensive rescue of Siyancuma in the upcoming Local Government Elections.
Together, we can end the neglect and reclaim your right to dignity and good governance. Together, we can rescue Siyancuma.
Regards
John Steenhuisen MP
Leader of the Democratic Alliance