Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - The Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has denied claims that it launched a service delivery programme aimed at making the ANC look good ahead of five by-elections that will take place in the Mkhondo Local Municipality next week.
Department head Cain Chunda responded to the EFF’s allegations following the cancellation of the Intensification of Greening Mpumalanga programme, which was supposed to be rolled out in KwaNgema, Mkhondo, before December 14.
Last week, EFF provincial chairperson Collen Sedibe gave the department’s MEC, Busi Shiba, three hours to reverse her decision to implement the programme in the identified area, where by-elections would be taking place.
Sedibe accused Shiba of sending an invitation to ANC authorities in the local municipality, which recently saw the expulsion of its ANC councillors after they were accused of voting with the opposition.
He said the programme was earmarked as a final showdown for the fiercely contested wards, especially after the EFF was able to unseat the ANC in its stronghold in Nkomazi a few months ago.
However, the head of department has said they were only responding to calls from local farmers who needed help.
“I was in the area together with the MEC during her brief tenure as acting premier two weeks ago. During the meeting, community members and a local traditional leader expressed concerns that they were receiving assistance from a kind white farmer who had little resources.
They asked the department to provide them with seedlings and manure to help sustain their farming activities, said Chunda.
He said the programme was being rolled out in other districts and they saw it as right to level the playing field with the Gert Sibande District, under which Mkhondo falls.
“Unfortunately, some political parties seek to politicise our work, claiming that we are on a campaign for the by-elections on December 14. We are surprised. Does it mean that when there are elections the government is expected to stop working?
“They threatened to stop the programme.
“They also threatened injuries to the workers, so, we thought that as a caring government, we should postpone the event. We didn’t cancel it, we just postponed it until after those by-elections,” he said.
Chunda said the programme would be rolled out on December 15.
He denied the EFF’s assertions that the programme was not approved at a legislature level and was put together by ANC leaders who saw an opportunity to campaign using government resources.
“There is no truth to this. We, as a department, have been embarking on this programme annually, and we roll it out during this season. This is a flagship programme aimed at assisting subsistence farmers.
“If what they are saying is true, how come have we already launched this year’s programme in other districts and rural areas in the province? This is nothing but a conspiracy theory.
“We will continue this work from December 15 simply because we want to prioritise the safety of the farmers in the Mkhondo area,” Chunda said.
EFF provincial leader, Sedibe, was not available for comment, previously stated that they wanted the MEC to pay for the logistics of the cancelled event from her own pocket.
Pretoria News