Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbite in English by Sean Trautmann
The Democratic Alliance (DA) expresses serious concern following the collapse of a scheduled community engagement on the draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Review and Budget for 2026–2027, held on the evening of 16 April, at the Madiba Banquet Hall.
The DA calls on the municipality to urgently:
- Correct and update all IDP documentation
- Ensure full and accurate inclusion of all wards
- Hold accountable those responsible for this failure
- Reschedule the engagement with proper preparation and transparency
The meeting was intended to provide residents with a meaningful opportunity to engage on proposed capital projects, tariff increases, and local development priorities. Instead, it exposed yet another failure by the municipal administration to fulfill its most basic governance responsibilities.
The documents presented to the public were fundamentally flawed. Entire wards were omitted from the IDP, while others contained outdated and recycled information dating as far back as the 2021–2022 financial year. Alarmingly, this mirrors the same failures experienced in 2025, where similar engagements had to be postponed due to poor preparation.
Compounding the issue, the IDP Manager, the official responsible for overseeing this critical process, failed to attend the meeting. This absence raises serious concerns about accountability and commitment to public participation.
Residents were instead presented with incomplete information, while interns were left attempting to facilitate proceedings and place undue pressure on ward councillors to proceed with a process that was clearly not ready. This approach suggests that the engagement was treated as a mere compliance exercise, rather than a genuine opportunity for community input.
The DA commends the residents who refused to accept this unacceptable standard. Their insistence on a proper process led to the postponement of the meeting, ensuring that their voices are not sidelined.
This failure is particularly concerning given the presence of parliamentary representatives involved in oversight processes, as well as officials from the Independent Electoral Commission. It reflects poorly on the institutional credibility of the JB Marks Local Municipality.
Meaningful public participation is not optional but a legal and democratic requirement. Communities cannot be expected to engage in good faith when the administration fails to do the same.
While the DA will continue to push for corrective action, repeated lapses of this nature have significantly eroded public confidence in the process.
The DA remains committed to ensuring that communities are meaningfully consulted and that municipal processes uphold the highest standards of accountability and governance.