Last minute electioneering in Nelson Mandela Bay got heated today as the ANC demands an internal investigation into how DA mayoral candidate Athol Trollip managed to circulate an email to all the city's civil servants' official work emails yesterday.
In the email dated August 1, with the subject line "Dear NMB staff member" and signed off by Trollip, there is a plea that staff shouldn't fear a Democratic Alliance take over and that everyone would be treated fairly under its administration.
In the email Trollip said they will promote professionalism and root out corrupt officials from the system.
"I (therefore) wish to extend an open invitation to each and every staff member who is committed to honest, clean and corrupt free government to feel free to work with us to give effect to our manifesto offer. Our pledge is to stop corruption, create jobs through economic growth and to deliver quality services to each and every household in the city...The only people in the metro staff administration who will be subjected to direct scrutiny with potential negative consequences will be those implicated in corruption and found guilty impropriety in this regard and those that have been appointed irregularly,"n said Trollip.
The ANC in the region is now hopping mad and demands answers as to how Trollip got access into the emails of Nelson Mandela Bay employees. ANC's Nelson Mandela Bay chief-whip Litho Suka said they have taken to task the municipality to institute an investigation into the alleged 'unethical conduct'. "There must be serious action against that person who circulated this. You can't interfere with staff. This is desperation of the highest order. We have instructed a senior official of the municipality to investigate and get a report so that we can act on that person who flouted government's policy of good governance," Suka.
ANC's Mayoral Danny Jordaan candidate said he has referred the matter to the municipal manager's office to deal with it. "Imagine if every other political party started campaigning like this, it is not right," said Jordaan.
But Trollip laughed off the call for an investigation saying that he is entitled to campaign in which every way he sees fit and that the ANC should get over itself. "I absolutely did send the emails, those are public emails belonging to civil servants who are there to serve the public. We are canvassing everybody and I have received very positive feedback. If Danny can send me an SMS saying that I must vote for the ANC and do it for Madiba then I can send messages to his staff members," said Trollip.
Meanwhile the fight was still going ahead on the streets with the parties' last minute attempts to convince voters to go all out in numbers to vote for their respective parties. At an ANC press conference Jordaan took a swipe at the DA, saying that it might only have a chance at winning the city's elections if the '1820 Settlers returned'. "Can you tell me that if a party that holds a rally and 3000 people attend and at Dan Qeqe there were 30 000 people when it was cold and raining that party will win?. In fact 1500 of those people were from outside of Nelson Mandela Bay so there are 1500 members of theirs here," said Jordaan. The ANC said it is not interested in any coalition and is confident of an outright win. "We are steadfast on election victory and talks about a coalition pretend that we are involved in some kind ofstokvel whereas our objective as the ANC is to win the majority seats in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro," said Regional task team convener Vuyani Limba. Meanwhile in Helenvale a so-called colloured and a supposed DA stronghold, Trollip also held no punches back. "All the ANC does it talk, in the Western Cape we are a government that does things not just talk. When you just talk, the money disappears," said Trollip. The DA hopes to retain power in that poverty stricken area but the ANC believes otherwise.
Trollip sends canvassing email to all Nelson Mandela Bay's civil servants: ANC demands investigation
In the email dated August 1, with the subject line "Dear NMB staff member" and signed off by Trollip, there is a plea that staff shouldn't fear a Democratic Alliance take over and that everyone would be treated fairly under its administration.
In the email Trollip said they will promote professionalism and root out corrupt officials from the system.
"I (therefore) wish to extend an open invitation to each and every staff member who is committed to honest, clean and corrupt free government to feel free to work with us to give effect to our manifesto offer. Our pledge is to stop corruption, create jobs through economic growth and to deliver quality services to each and every household in the city...The only people in the metro staff administration who will be subjected to direct scrutiny with potential negative consequences will be those implicated in corruption and found guilty impropriety in this regard and those that have been appointed irregularly,"n said Trollip.
The ANC in the region is now hopping mad and demands answers as to how Trollip got access into the emails of Nelson Mandela Bay employees. ANC's Nelson Mandela Bay chief-whip Litho Suka said they have taken to task the municipality to institute an investigation into the alleged 'unethical conduct'. "There must be serious action against that person who circulated this. You can't interfere with staff. This is desperation of the highest order. We have instructed a senior official of the municipality to investigate and get a report so that we can act on that person who flouted government's policy of good governance," Suka.
ANC's Mayoral Danny Jordaan candidate said he has referred the matter to the municipal manager's office to deal with it. "Imagine if every other political party started campaigning like this, it is not right," said Jordaan.
But Trollip laughed off the call for an investigation saying that he is entitled to campaign in which every way he sees fit and that the ANC should get over itself. "I absolutely did send the emails, those are public emails belonging to civil servants who are there to serve the public. We are canvassing everybody and I have received very positive feedback. If Danny can send me an SMS saying that I must vote for the ANC and do it for Madiba then I can send messages to his staff members," said Trollip.
Meanwhile the fight was still going ahead on the streets with the parties' last minute attempts to convince voters to go all out in numbers to vote for their respective parties. At an ANC press conference Jordaan took a swipe at the DA, saying that it might only have a chance at winning the city's elections if the '1820 Settlers returned'. "Can you tell me that if a party that holds a rally and 3000 people attend and at Dan Qeqe there were 30 000 people when it was cold and raining that party will win?. In fact 1500 of those people were from outside of Nelson Mandela Bay so there are 1500 members of theirs here," said Jordaan. The ANC said it is not interested in any coalition and is confident of an outright win. "We are steadfast on election victory and talks about a coalition pretend that we are involved in some kind ofstokvel whereas our objective as the ANC is to win the majority seats in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro," said Regional task team convener Vuyani Limba. Meanwhile in Helenvale a so-called colloured and a supposed DA stronghold, Trollip also held no punches back. "All the ANC does it talk, in the Western Cape we are a government that does things not just talk. When you just talk, the money disappears," said Trollip. The DA hopes to retain power in that poverty stricken area but the ANC believes otherwise.
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