'We weren't really effective' in Western Cape, admits ANC's Ehrenreich

01 July 2016 - 12:27 By APHIWE DE KLERK

His shocking admission comes in the wake of chaos that erupted in Nyanga over the exclusion of an ANC councillor from the party's candidate list."I think our effectiveness was between 10 and 12%. We weren't really effective at all," said Ehrenreich who addressed the Cape Town Press Club yesterday.The ANC chose Ehrenreich as its mayoral candidate in 2011 hoping to pull votes from the DA.His statement comes a month after he was shafted by the party as its mayoral candidate.His replacement is his chief whip, Xolani Sotashe.Ehrenreich blamed the ruling DA for the ANC's ineffectiveness, saying the party used its majority to change council processes to effectively silence them."One of the practices in council is that the mayor addresses council . then the leader of the opposition [is given time] to talk about the main challenges," he said.But because his party attracted great media attention he claimed council scrapped the practice."We never got to the podium anymore. We can ask the questions from the floor and they can switch off the mics," said Ehrenreich.He said the DA administration had spent R50-million to boast about having the best-run city in the country. But, said Ehrenreich, it failed to build affordable housing near the CBD or foster social cohesion.Ehrenreich lambasted the ANC along with the DA. He said there were grave dangers should both parties continue to gain strength."You can see the party bosses taking centre stage, whether it's in Pretoria . or some of the things that are done by the DA in the City of Cape Town," he said.Meanwhile, there are fears that violence by ANC supporters in Nyanga could spread.Authorities shut down a section of the N2 after protesters torched Golden Arrow buses.The scenes were reminiscent of the violence in Tshwane where the ANC appointed Thoko Didiza as its mayoral candidate...

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