The EFF claims the ANC used a municipal building for its high-level meeting because it could not afford to pay for a venue.
The EFF in Gauteng has accused the ANC of “hijacking” a municipal building in Ekurhuleni and using it for their National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
This comes after the ANC concluded its four-day NEC meeting at the Germiston Civic Centre on Monday.
EFF chairperson in Gauteng, Nkululeko Dunga, complained that their public representatives and councillors were unable to access the Germiston Civic Centre during the ANC meeting.
“As a result of this meeting, the EFF Caucus in the City was compelled to postpone its induction Programme because the ANC locked down the Civic Centre, deploying state resources and police to create an exclusive zone to save the fast-decaying former liberation movement from public embarrassment.
“These actions by the ANC are not only disgraceful, they also play a role in compromising service delivery to the people of Ekurhuleni,” he said.
Why did the ANC use the Germiston Civic Centre?
Dunga accused the ANC of abusing municipal resources for their benefit.
“This brazen abuse of municipal infrastructure illustrates the ANC’s tendency to blur the lines between the state and the party and to treat public property as its private quarters,” he said.
Dunga said the ANC should have used an alternative venue for their meeting.
“It is an insult to the people of Gauteng and Ekurhuleni in particular, that the ANC, embroiled in bankruptcy and unable to fund its own events, now exploits public facilities to conduct internal meetings, even at the expense of ordinary council operations,” he said.
Was the venue booked properly?
The EFF demanded an explanation from the Ekurhuleni Council concerning the matter.
“The institutions entrusted with the custodianship of Council and its properties must give a detailed explanation of this situation, including the possible flouting of the booking policies.
“Because this ANC NEC meeting was moved from one venue to another, with the Civic Centre utilised in the last minute, the EFF strongly believes that necessary venue booking policies were not followed,” he said.
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The municipality’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, told The Citizen the legislature is responsible for the building that was used for the ANC meeting and referred queries to them.
The speaker of Council in charge of the legislature belongs to the EFF.
The Citizen contacted ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu Motsiri for comment on the matter. Her comment will be included once received.
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