Cape Town - The ANC has launched a new offensive attacking the DA and the provincial government’s record on issues from the alleged collusion with the liquor industry to the Western Cape’s treatment of the City with kid gloves due to internal DA divisions.
The campaign comes ahead of local government elections set for later in the year, but the leader of the opposition in the legislature, Cameron Dugmore, said the drive will continue “way beyond the elections”.
“These are grassroots campaigns which need to be taken up in terms of our mandate as the ANC, but it’s clear to us that we need to organise a broad front against poverty and a broad pro-poor coalition working beyond the ANC with other political parties and community organisations who are similarly committed,” said Dugmore.
Among the issues Dugmore raised during a digital news conference included the Province’s failure to implement the Alcohol Harms Reduction policy from 2017 and a “broken promise” to draft a new Liquor Act.
He said: “Whenever the national government restricts the hours of trading, there’s an outcry from certain elements in this province, and this government led by the premier has consistently taken the side of the liquor industry and therefore put lives at risk.”
He said there was little doubt the provincial government was in the pocket of the alcohol industry.
Dugmore also took aim at the chairperson of the legislature’s standing committee on the premier, Ricardo Makenzie (DA), accusing him of being “hands off” when it comes to anything to do with the DA.
He said Mackenzie had not called a meeting of the committee since June in order to avoid or block discussion on the contentious issue of an environment commissioner for the province.
Replying to the accusations, Premier Alan Winde’s spokesperson Cayla Murray said: “Dugmore’s comments demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the legislative process and its many requirements.
“As a result of the significant work done to date, the Western Cape is currently proceeding with amending the Western Cape Liquor Act, in order to address the causal relationship between alcohol abuse in our communities and violence.
“The provincial cabinet has already been presented with the first set of proposed draft amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Act which will be subject to drafting instructions and a public participation process.
“These amendments will directly and indirectly reduce alcohol harms, as well improve the efficiency of the Western Cape Liquor Authority,” said Murray.
Meanwhile Mackenzie said: “The public hearings on the environmental commissioner was originally scheduled for the month of August 2021. However, as the nation was placed under Alert Level 4 of the lockdown, the responsible decision was taken to postpone these public hearings given the rising Covid-19 infections in the province.
“It nonetheless remains a priority of the committee to conduct well suited-and attended public hearings. The legislation pertaining to the establishment of the environmental commissioner dates back to the years of ANC governance in the Western Cape which that party failed to see through.”