ANC leader out to expose DA for 'cadre deployment double standards'

The leader of the official opposition in the Western Cape legislature, ANC MPL Cameron Dugmore, says he is determined to unmask the DA for double standards in not practising what it preaches on so-called cadre deployment.

Dugmore has written to provincial DA leader Albert Fritz demanding minutes of party meetings where instructions were sent to municipalities governed by the party on whom to employ and whom not to.

The move comes after the DA recently successfully pushed for the publication of ANC  deployment committee meeting minutes, laying bare the party's involvement in the placement of its comrades in key positions in government and state entities.

Dugmore believes it's time the DA was also exposed for practising cadre deployment in places where it governs.

To prove his point, he released a letter from the DA to the George municipality in 2018 discussing the vacancy of director of corporate services.

In the letter, signed by then DA leader in the province Anton Bredell and sent to the mayor, speaker, chief whip and chairperson of council, the DA complains to the municipality about not following party instructions when filling the vacancy.

Part of the letter, written in Afrikaans, reads: “You are hereby asked in a friendly way to not proceed with this appointment before you get permission from the federal office.

“You are aware that appointments must be signed off by FedEx [federal executive — the DA’s highest decision-making body] and the following information is requested; the scoping report from the consultant and the recommendation that the consultant has made to the council.

“The regulation is clear that the selection committee must make a recommendation to the council. What was the reason the DA caucus did not unanimously accept the recommendation of the selection committee without sending it back to the selection committee?”

Dugmore said in this case, the DA was unhappy with a candidate who had scored the most points during the interviews.

In any case, he argued, the DA had no business sticking its nose into administrative recruitment processes of any municipality, even if the party was governing it.

“The person who had emerged with the most points during interviews was a black official with a lot of experience called Simphiwe James but the selection panel, dominated by the DA's conservative grouping, proposed a white male who had scored less,” Dugmore told TimesLIVE.

“So besides undue interference, the DA was in essence reversing employment equity.”

Dugmore said this was evidence that the DA, which has made it a priority to attack the ANC’s cadre deployment policy, was doing the same or worse within its ranks.

Dugmore has given Fritz two weeks to provide minutes of all DA meetings where positions in government were discussed and the names proposed to occupy them.

“My request is that your office provides copies of all such letters sent by the DA Western Cape [and the DA FedEx] to local DA caucuses from 2009 to date,” wrote Dugmore to Fritz.

“In addition I request copies of the minutes of the meetings where decisions to write to the respective DA caucuses were taken. Such minutes to include the attendance register of all those present.”

Fritz, when called for comment, hit back, saying he was not going to respond to Dugmore.

Said Fritz: “I do not even think Cameron Dugmore deserves any comment. My personal view is that I cannot legitimise his comments with a response, he is clutching at straws and should not be entertained.”

TimesLIVE