DP's SPURIOUS ALLEGATIONS INTENDED TO DISCREDIT ATTEMPTS TO TRANSFORM LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIONS

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2000

The ANC today moved a motion in the provincial legislature calling on the house to support the transformation of local government and dismiss DP allegations that the ANC planned to replace town clerks with party functionaries.

Commenting on the issue, ANC Leader Ebrahim Rasool said:

"It is clear that the DP spin doctors cannot be taken very seriously.

"Recently they made the headlines claiming their offices were bugged. A police investigation revealed no evidence of such.

"Yesterday the DP claimed that the "ANC Western Cape's regional secretary" had issued a directive to replace town clerks before the November elections to all ANC branches. This is utter nonsense.

"The DP has an agenda to discredit transformation at every turn.

"The ANC's transformation plan and cadre deployment is no secret. We are determined to ensure that the public service is transformed and representative. In the Western Cape less than five percent of all town clerks are black, yet the DP is silent about this.

"They are part of a coalition government whose top administration still refletcs the apartheid civil service in its composition.

"The DP's bluster will not hide their fundamental oppostion to employment equity and afiirmative action. This is what lies behind their wild allegations.

Issued by ANC Western Cape Communications Department
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