The Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association (SRPA) said that SANCO’s ‘unwarranted and uncalled for attack’ on them came as a surprise.

This follows after the South African National Civic Organization’s Makhado sub-region criticised the SRPA in the media for so-called “unfair attacks” on the Makhado Municipality and its municipal manager.

“We hope politics is not behind this sudden attack, and we encourage SANCO not to use cheap politics to score a deal before the local government elections,” was the response by Mr Chrisjan van den Berg, chairperson of the SRPA, in a media release. He said that SANCO should know that the democratic way was first to find out exactly what an organization stands for before suddenly attacking it in the media.

“If the goal of SANCO is to ‘build a better future in a democratic and better and free country’, then they should demonstrate that commitment by talking to the SRPA first,” Van den Berg said.

Van den Berg invited SANCO’s Pastor T P Mashau, who was responsible for the media release attacking the SRPA, to meet with the SRPA. He said Mashau and his committee might be surprised to find that both organizations, as civic organizations, shared the same ideals for the community.

Van den Berg said that the SRPA stood for good corporate governance and that included holding public servants accountable. As accounting officer of the Makhado Municipality , the municipal manager should adhere to the Municipal Finance Management Act, also in respect of unauthorized, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

“The municipal manager was given 30 days to respond to the charges that are being considered. More so, he was given another six months to respond and up to now has failed do so. He failed to even acknowledge receipt of the letter. This is not a sign of good corporate governance and without doubt not a sign of adhering to the Batho Pele principles,” Van den Berg said.

Mashau also criticised the SRPA for withholding rates and taxes as part of their dispute with the municipality. Van den Berg said that the members of the SRPA were law-abiding, taxpaying individuals who kept part of their municipal account in a trust account.

“The money is being held in trust for the municipality as an encouragement to choose good corporate governance procedures and processes. The SRPA will gladly give the money to the municipality as soon as good corporate governance is a priority for the Makhado Municipality,” Van den Berg said.