The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned about the "ignorant and arrogant games the ANC is playing at Council meetings.”

At a Council meeting of the Makhado Municipality on 28 October, the DA forwarded questions and motions well in advance as stipulated by the Standing Rules and Orders of the Municipality. Only one of the questions submitted by DA Cllr Brian du Plooy was tabled, but was not answered. The question related to the town´s continuous water shortages.

“Upon request at the meeting, it was said that they did not know about the other questions and that they would investigate the situation,” Du Plooy said on Monday. The relevant documentation was received by the municipality on 28 September. “This gave them ample time to prepare the answers to the questions for last week’s Council meeting,” said Du Plooy .

According to the Rules and Order section of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, Act 23 of 2000 “any question that is put in terms of this section must be answered by or on behalf of the chairperson of the executive committee during reply.”

There is a proviso that the question may be answered at the next ordinary council meeting. That would be the case if the question had not been lodged in writing ten days prior to the meeting.

“I proposed to amend the Standing Rules and Orders for questions to be answered at this specific meeting, if this is how they understand standing rules,” Cllr Du Plooy said. The Speaker refused and said the question would be answered at the next scheduled meeting on January 27 next year.

The Democratic Alliance issued a media statement to say that they find it unacceptable that serious questions and motions cannot or will not be answered at meetings.

The motion on the table was to place a moratorium on all future water connections in Louis Trichardt until all water shortages have been sorted out and there is a regular water supply to everybody in Louis Trichardt and Tshikota Township.

“This motion can’t wait till January next year. It must happen with immediate effect, so that all residents in these communities can have sufficient water supply till the water issues or shortages have been sorted out,” Cllr Du Plooy said.

The Strategic Framework for Water Service, approved by Cabinet on September 17, 2003, states that “... consumers are in the best position to monitor the effectiveness of water services provision. They are the first to experience the effects of poor, inadequate or absent services. Therefore, the most important and effective monitoring strategy for the sector is strengthening the voice of consumers.”

Consumers are negatively affected and are suffering financial losses due to the inadequate or absent services or shortages of water in the area of the Makhado Municpality.

“We are stunned by this ignorance or arrogance displayed at the Council meeting. Even more so, since the Mayor, together with the Chief Whip of the ANC in the Makhado Municipality, very recently called a meeting with all the DA councillors asking for open communication between all parties. What happened was just the opposite,” Du Plooy said.