Dear African National Congress Chief Whip Victor Molosi, i compose this letter to you out of love for our town…

It’s unfortunate that you force me to address you in this strong manner but i believe that the people of Knysna are more important than your failure to act.

This open letter is driven by Knysna deserving better than what the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) have delivered so far.

• You’ve failed to accept invitations to meet me.
• The Provincial Executive Committee has failed to make you do so.
• And, most importantly, the ANC is, again, not remotely acting as opposition where it matters.

Consequently, i respond by addressing you and, indirectly, the Knysna ANC you lead.

WHERE’S THE ANC’S OPPOSITION?

I’m disturbed by the ANC’s general failure to be positive Opposition.

Can the Knysna ANC show me how many times they’ve effectively addressed maladministration and corruption?

How many times have the ANC been to Court on behalf of the people they’re supposed to represent?

I’m unaware of any.

I don’t choose a party. I choose Knysna by fighting, as a citizen, maladministration and corruption. Concurrently, i try educate the public.

I’m in Court too regularly. No matter how they phrase it, i can connect every case to the DA. But you’re also responsible because the ridiculous situation is that i’m without an organisation or funds yet, by default, doing what should be your job.

You could try excuse yourself by saying you’re new to our Council but you were previously on the ANC’s Regional Executive Committee of Eden District. Apparently there, at one stage, the ex-ANC Chief Whip and and now-DA Mayor were your colleagues and friends there.

And now, at the start of another 5-year political term, you’ve expended your opposition energy on stopping the suspension of the Municipal Manager (MM). He is, of course, innocent until proven otherwise but no reasonable person could understand how investigation into the person who controls our town could be conducted whilst he remained in that power seat.

DOES THE KNYSNA ANC WORK FOR THE DA?

Like the Chief Whip before you, you’re not responding to my complaints. My complaints are of serious nature, affecting all the colours of US.

Besides the possibility of power factions being the reason for the position on the MM, your stance makes me ask: “Does the Knysna ANC work for the DA?”

• Like the DA, you’ve failed to acknowledge my ‘Elephants in the Room’ complaint let alone address the issues.
• Like the DA, the ANC has failed to address my submission to Parliament (since February, the issues themselves reaching back years).
• Where are you now as the DA Mayor finds herself in a scandal you should be demanding answers for.

I will be arrogant today. I’ve worked hard for Knysna. I’ve earned my right to be a critic. I’ve exposed wrongdoing and scandal after scandal yet the ANC has always failed to act on it.

However, you have to be humble. You are elected and paid to serve the public. You are supposed to look out for the best interests of all us, no matter where we stay, no matter what we look out.

You are a COUNCILLOR. No matter who we vote for, all councillors are supposed to be our leaders.

MEET OR BE BANNED

If you fail to respond to me TODAY, setting up a meeting for TOMORROW OR MONDAY during the day, I’M BANNING YOU for 12 months. By banning i mean that unless it’s within an official municipal meeting, i will not acknowledge a member of the ANC.

After that, i will repeat the offer again…

You may laugh at that. You may want to pretend to your elusive ANC branch structure that you are too big to respond to me but when i’m driven, i’m effective.

I will still fight all corruption that crosses my path but when i offer the other parties fair coverage into their areas, you won’t receive that.

I’m going to go to the national EFF and ask them why the ANC are seemingly working with the DA, giving them a free ride. I’m sending my first letter today in the hope that they will be interested in land issues and the abuse of public funds. If anyone ever asks me why, i’m going to say Victor Malosi and the DA made me do it.

I’m going to try my hardest to eventually get the bigger picture to Constitutional Court and hold every Councillor who didn’t do their job accountable.

Outside Parliament or court, if any ANC politician (local, provincial, national) wants to meet me, and you haven’t met me, i’m going to say “NO” to them… and point them to this letter.

In my mind and heart, your decision to appear or remain invisible will determine who you are.

COME TO THE TABLE

My goal isn’t to humiliate you. It isn’t just to express my anger.

I’m hoping you come to the table and start discussing issues that desperately require your attention.

It’s a hope that you become effective opposition, not for the nonsense sake of being opposition but for the sake of oversight. Opposition should be one of the important safeguards against the abuse of power by those in power, in this case the DA. But you’d also have to address the seemingly illegal payments for studies of ex-ANC Councillors.

In this situation, where the DA rules with an enormous failure to accountability, the ANC, ACDP, COPE and KUC are supposed to be Opposition.

WILL YOU BE OPPOSITION? WILL YOU STAND UP?

PS: I’m not interested in the continuous battle for power within the ANC behind the scenes. I’m not interested in traditional ANC entourages. If you want to meet, make it only you and Councillor Titi Gombo (she’s from the previous administration and, importantly, is the Chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee).