Leaders who hold political office have to walk a fine line between state duties and political activities. However, far too often, those lines can become blurred — especially in an election year.
The executive mayor of the Buffalo City Metro, Princess Faku, and the Eastern Cape ANC are accused of blurring the lines and now find themselves the subject of a complaint to the Electoral Commission (IEC).
The DA lodged a grievance after the handover of school shoes to needy pupils in Ward 32 in Tsholomnqa on February 13.
The event was advertised on BCM’s social media platforms as part of a broader service delivery initiative in the community.
The provincial ANC posted a near-identical handover by its Dr WB Rubusana regional chair, except it appears to be punted as an ANC event.
It had the same date, same time and same school beneficiaries as listed on BCM’s post.
The mayor wore ANC regalia at the handover, which her spokesperson said was because she had to attend a party event later.
Coincidentally, the ward in question is set to head to a by-election on March 18 after the death of its councillor.
Both the ANC and BCM posts advertising the event have since been deleted from public platforms. However, the Daily Dispatch had saved screenshots.
BCM denied there was anything untoward about the event, so too the ANC.
Both claimed there was merely an overlap of a municipal event and that of the party.
They emphasise that the delivery of services benefited residents directly and was not a political rally disguised as a municipal function.
This defence does not fully address the optics and the confusion among residents.
One local who attended the event told the Daily Dispatch: “To us it appeared it was an ANC event.”
Political experts say that the country does not have clear rules to stop government work from being mixed up with political party activities, especially during election years.
Because of this confusion, political leaders can use their position to get an unfair advantage.
The Electoral Commission will have to determine if there was any misrepresentation or misuse of municipal funds.
With SA expected to head to the polls later this year for the municipal elections, the situation demands clearer rules and transparency to prevent public resources from being used for politicking.
This will ensure that the line between state duties and political activities are clear.
Daily Dispatch
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