The Buffalo City Metro has come under fire after the municipality used its official platforms to defend mayor Princess Faku over a post that reportedly appeared on her personal Facebook account.
The controversy erupted after the screenshots circulated of the post, which stated: “Kwamandi [it is nice] our President is Vindicated”, followed by three hearts in ANC colours.
The post appeared to reference the recent Phala Phala-related court ruling involving President Cyril Ramaphosa, and quickly drew criticism online, with many social media users accusing the mayor of misunderstanding the judgment.
Soon afterwards, BCM’s official Facebook page issued a statement dismissing the circulating screenshots as “fake news” and claiming the mayor’s account had been hacked.
This prompted a backlash from opposition parties and some residents, who questioned why municipal communication platforms were being used to respond to matters relating to the mayor’s personal social media account.
The controversy comes just months after Faku faced scrutiny from the IEC over allegations relating to the use of municipal resources during political campaigning.
On Friday, the EFF issued a statement condemning what it described as the abuse of municipal resources for the “political defence” of the mayor.
They are not meant to be reduced into propaganda tools used to fight the political battles of the ANC, or to shield political leaders from public scrutiny and accountability
— Zilindile Vena, EFF provincial chair
EFF provincial chair Zilindile Vena said municipal communication platforms should not be used as political tools.
“Municipal communication platforms are public resources funded by the people of Buffalo City, and are intended to communicate matters of service delivery, governance programmes and issues affecting residents,” Vena said.
“They are not meant to be reduced into propaganda tools used to fight the political battles of the ANC, or to shield political leaders from public scrutiny and accountability.”
He said the conduct undermined principles of good governance, transparency and accountability expected from public institutions.
DA chief whip and municipal public accounts committee member Anathi Majeke confirmed that she had reported the matter to executive support services head Ncumisa Sidukwana.
Majeke said the municipality’s communications platforms were increasingly straying from their intended mandate.
“The conduct has been unbecoming and not sticking to the mandate of informing the public on municipal issues,” Majeke said.
“We have recently adopted a communications policy aligned with GCIS guidelines and this type of example goes against that policy.”
Majeke also raised concerns about what she described as a growing trend of municipal communication material using AI-generated imagery and colours that did not form part of the metro’s approved institutional branding.
The municipality’s response also drew criticism online, with several residents questioning why the metro was addressing issues linked to the mayor’s personal social media activity.
One Facebook user commented: “This is an ANC matter,” while another described the post as an “abuse of power”.
The controversy unfolded during a week in which several ANC figures claimed their social media accounts had been hacked as the Phala Phala ruling was debated online.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile declined to comment.
Daily Dispatch
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