Q&A

GAYTON MCKENZIE’s Patriotic Alliance played a key role in torpedoing Johannesburg’s ruling DA-led coalition this week. Chris Barron asked him ...

How does this ongoing shambles serve the interests of ratepayers?

It doesn’t serve the interests of ratepayers at all to have unreasonable people in a coalition that behaves like a big party, knowing there’s no big party in any coalition.

In what sense has the DA been unreasonable?

Number one, the Freedom Front Plus came with an offer to us. We accepted the offer.

What was the offer?

Two MMC positions of ActionSA: economic development and transport.

Is it in the gift of ActionSA to hand key portfolios over to a party that’s not even a formal member of the coalition?

They were formalising it by handing it out, they can’t just give us the thing. It was part of negotiations. We were busy negotiating and they put that on the table.

Formalising what?

The agreement with the coalition government committee.

To hand these portfolios over to you?

The FF Plus was part of it, the DA was part of it, it wasn’t in a corner done at night where [ActionSA leader] Herman Mashaba came with an envelope of portfolios. It was done in a meeting, it was minuted.

Handing over economic development to you?

It’s not handing over. We are not coming here as beggars, like we are being given. We’re not being given, we are the kingmakers. The DA will have nothing, like they have nothing today.

Didn’t you give an absolute assurance that you would be loyal to the DA-led coalition to the end of its term in 2026?

That is absolute rubbish. We don’t stay where we are disrespected.

By the DA not giving you the key positions you demanded?

What’s the difference between the DA having the key positions and me having the key positions? Why should they have all the key positions?

Because they’ve got 71 seats in the council and you’ve got 8?

Yes, but we live in a democratic state. You guys want to cherry-pick democracy.

Isn’t democracy supposed to be about what’s good for the ratepayers?

What’s good for my constituency. You want to say the people that voted for me must get crumbs while those that voted for the DA get croissants?

How is it in the interests of ratepayers for you to be given portfolios that offer the biggest opportunities for corruption?

I’m currently the best mayor in SA.

Haven’t you been accused of ignoring the Municipal Finance Management Act?

Go to the auditor-general’s report in Central Karoo. I got a clean audit. I found the Central Karoo in tatters and I fixed it.

And of not following procurement processes?

You know for a fact the people in Central Karoo are the happiest at the moment. Now we must come here with the DA. The DA is a corrupt and clueless party.

But you were happy to be in a coalition with this corrupt DA as long as they gave in to your demands? That’s the nature of coalition politics.

Would it be fair to say you’re not guided by principles of good governance?

For me the problem is not principles of good governance, the problem is being told we must follow DA principles.