The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga says it will report Premier Mandla Ndlovu and MEC Speedy Mashilo to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and the Legislature Ethics Committee over alleged use of government housing handover events to campaign for the ANC ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The DA claims the premier, Mashilo and other provincial government officials have in recent months travelled across the province handing over houses to disadvantaged families, with some events promoted on official government platforms while ANC regalia was allegedly used during the handovers.
DA caucus leader in the Mpumalanga Legislature Bosman Grobler said the party would submit evidence to the IEC and the Ethics Committee, arguing that government resources and platforms should not be used for party political campaigning.
The DA alleges that the conduct amounts to an abuse of state resources and may contravene provisions governing the conduct of public officials during elections.
Grobler also questioned Ndlovu’s claim that some of the housing handovers were funded by the Mandla Ndlovu Foundation and donors, asking why the events were promoted through official provincial government media platforms if they were not government-funded initiatives.
The DA further alleges that conflating government functions with party political interests could breach sections 136(2)(b) and 195(1)(a) and (f) of the Constitution.
“Residents of Mpumalanga province must never be made to believe that government services are gifts from the ANC or any political party,” Grobler said.
“The government has a duty to serve residents irrespective of how they vote.”
The DA said it welcomed housing assistance for disadvantaged families but questioned the timing of the handovers ahead of the local government elections.
“Housing delivery is a government function, not a party function,” Grobler said.
He called for the separation between party and state to be protected in Mpumalanga.