Statement by Cllr Eldrige Ruiters – DA Dr Beyers Naude Mayoral Candidate:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Caucus in Dr Beyers Naude Municipality has secured an important victory for transparency and public participation after successfully opposing the adoption of the 2024/25 Annual and Oversight Report at the Council meeting held on 30 June.
The DA objected to the report because the municipality failed to comply with the requirements of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), which provides for public hearings to allow residents an opportunity to engage with Council on the Annual Report.
The Annual and Oversight Report explains how the municipality spent public money, what it achieved during the financial year, and whether it delivered on its promises. It is one of the most important documents Council considers each year.
The DA argued that not engaging in physical public meetings and relying solely on online platforms excluded many residents who do not have access to smartphones, social media, or reliable internet services. Public hearings are essential to ensure every community member has a fair opportunity to participate in local government.
As a direct result of the DA Caucus’s principled stand, the municipality committed to conducting public hearings in all towns across the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality before the report can be considered for adoption. This is a significant victory for accountable governance.
The Annual and Oversight Report should have been adopted two months ago. The delay follows repeated requests by the DA’s Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) representative, Cllr Danie Bezuidenhout, for the required MPAC meetings and public hearings to be convened before the report was presented to Council.
The municipality’s failure to adopt the report within the prescribed timeframe is now expected to result in a negative audit finding.
The DA believes accountability must follow and will therefore submit a motion at the next Council meeting calling for the removal of the ANC MPAC Chairperson, for failing to fulfil the committee’s oversight responsibilities.
The DA remains committed to defending transparent, lawful, and inclusive local government, and will continue to hold the ANC-led administration accountable.
On 4 November residents get the opportunity to go to the ballot box to elect a DA government that will get Dr Beyers Naude Municipality working.
Icedog
So I\’m real good friends with this guy named Juan Ted. Now, Juan is a pretty improbable guy. He can steal ANYTHING he wants to. Literally anything. It could be the shirt off your back, the wallet in your pocket, or I\’m even sure he\’d find a way to steal your house (And your spouse too). So anyway, one day Juan and I are sitting around watching TV, and they announced that the hope diamond will not be on display anymore and is now getting moved to an undisclosed location. So as we hear this, Juan says \”I\’m gonna steal it\”. Now I know how good Juan is at this kind of stuff, so I just tell him good luck and he goes on his way. Eventually he narrows his search down to a small cave in South Africa. When Juan gets there, he doesn\’t see any guards or anything outside the cave, so he just walks in assuming he was wrong about where the diamond was. He wanders around for a while until he sees a long lit hallway with the hope diamond at the end of it. Confident in his abilities, he strolls over to the diamond and picks it up before realizing its a trap! Suddenly, red lights flashed, armed men came running out, sirens went off. You could hear one of the men say under his breath \”We finally caught Juan Ted.\” But Juan, being the best thief in the world, said \”Not quite. On the count of three, I will disappear.\” As the men looked around confused, Juan began to count. \”Uno. Dos.\” And he disappeared without a tres.
Twister Hero
Did you know that another country lies within the borders of South Africa? The Kingdom of Lesotho is a sovereign state that is located in the Drakensberg Mountain area. The mountainous country has been nicknamed “the Kingdom in the Sky” thanks to the magnificent scenery and landscapes!