Immediate Press Release
THE CITY of CAPE TOWN’s DISALLOWANCE of PUBLIC ATTENDANCE AT ITS UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETING WHERE THE REVISED BUDGET WILL BE PRESENTED BY THE MAYOR UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY
The DA is supposedly the paragon of openness and regularly took national government to court to demand transparency. The decision by the DA-led City of Cape Town to prohibit members of the public from attending the upcoming Council meeting where the Mayor will introduce the budget is thus deeply concerning and fundamentally undemocratic. This threatens the open and transparent governance that residents of Cape Town deserve and undermines the principles of accountability and public participation that are vital to a healthy democracy.
In terms of its own notice for tomorrow’s meeting it indicated that members of the public and the media can attend on invitation. Well, I got invited by a councillor and gave the necessary information. Today I got informed that the Speaker or some Committee introduced a standing rule that no visitors will be allowed until the security of Councillors are dealt with. This is a cheap tactic to not hear their shenanigans in person! My goodness don’t they have security there to deal with this. Where are JP’s drones?
Public engagement is the cornerstone of democratic decision-making and as ratepayers we have the right to observe, participate in, and scrutinize the processes that determine how our taxes are proposed to be allocated and spent. Denying access to this crucial meeting silences the voices of residents and diminishes trust in local government.
We strongly oppose any measures that restrict public access to essential civic proceedings without valid justification. Transparency must be preserved to ensure that the budget process remains open, inclusive, and accountable to the people it serves.
We call upon the City of Cape Town to reconsider this totally draconian and undemocratic decision. We demand nothing less than participatory and transparent local government. The fact that it is in the majority does not give the DA the unfettered power to do as it wishes. We call on the other parties in that Council to push back and demand that that decision is overturned.
Adv. Rod Solomons, Convenor of the #SA1stForum and Coordinator of the PUSH BACK AGAINST THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S PROPOSED UNAFFORDABLE RATES AND SERVICE INCREASES campaign