Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Midvaal Local Municipality defended its decision to invite DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga to speak at its state of the municipality address (Soma) on Thursday.
It stated he had offered a holistic view of local government.
This after ActionSA accused it of blurring the line between party and state.
Justifying the invitation, Midvaal Mayor Peter Teixeira’s office said no regulations dictated the structure of its programme.
Teixeira’s senior media officer, Idah Satikhe, told News24 the mayor had invited various stakeholders, including other mayors, speakers, and people from the business sector.
“The state of the municipality address is a special sitting of the council, and by virtue of the special sitting, guests are identified from across a spectrum of stakeholders.
“In this regard, the executive mayor and members of the mayoral committee are given the discretion to invite an array of stakeholders.
“At the Soma, executive mayors and speakers from surrounding municipalities – such as Lesedi, Sedibeng, Metsimaholo, and Fezile Dabi – were invited and attended.
“Stakeholders from the business, non-government, education, and health sectors were also in attendance,” Satikhe said.
Among those guests was Msimanga, whom she said offered a “provincial and national perspective on local government and to analyse the significance of Midvaal’s commendable governance and performance”.
She said the opportunity for the Gauteng leader to speak was granted by the mayor, adding “there is no limitation, regulation or legislation that dictates or governs the composition of a programme of the state of the municipality address”.
ActionSA and Xiluva added they considered the invitation a breach of government ethics and slammed the DA for its hypocrisy.
The parties have called out the DA-led municipality for using state resources and platforms to advance its interests which they said was unacceptable.
In a statement, ActionSA’s Gauteng chairperson Funzi Ngobeni said: “As much as it would be unacceptable for ANC officials to speak at government events, it is unacceptable for DA officials to speak at government events.
“There should be no exception simply because the DA runs a municipality.” He added the party had written to Teixeira and council speaker Alan McLoughlin on Thursday asking for an urgent explanation, saying it would act if necessary.
Xiluva leader and former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi said he would take measures to handle the matter, which would be communicated in due time.
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