Don't berate us for our open-door policy
June 15, 2006 Edition 1
In the ongoing debate on the N2 Gateway housing fiasco, two peripheral but important issues need clarification. They both arise from accusations made against the City of Cape Town by the national Ministry of Housing, under Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
In their attempt to justify the city's exclusion from the project, Sisulu has accused me of forwarding a copy of a letter I wrote to her to the media. This letter expressed my concerns and asked for clarification on key aspects of the N2 Gateway project, for which the city has received demands for unauthorised payments amounting to millions of rands.
The media reported the contents of the letter after I presented it to a routine housing portfolio committee meeting.
We run an open committee system in the council, in order to ameliorate the problems associated with the executive mayoral system, so that the public (through the media) can hold us accountable for decisions and actions. This is what happened in this case, and there was nothing unprofessional or unethical about it, as the minister claims.
We acted within the letter and the spirit of the constitution, as well as established protocol. If the previous ANC administration in the city had run an open committee system, the N2 Gateway would have been subject to appropriate scrutiny from the start and would not have degenerated into the debacle that it now is.
The second accusation that warrants a reply is the insinuation by Mr Saths Moodley, the minister's special adviser, that I wantonly absented myself from an "M3" meeting on May 31. This meeting (which is supposed to include the minister, the provincial MEC for housing and the mayor) was called to discuss (among other things) the N2 Gateway project.
The facts are as follows: the minister's office changed the date and time of the proposed meeting twice in two days. I willingly re-arranged my diary twice to accommodate the minister. At 24 hours' notice, the minister's office provided us a third (and final) date for the meeting on Wednesday, May 31.
This happened to be budget day in the council, where I had to deliver the budget speech.
In addition, the ANC/ID were planning to support a resolution to unseat the multi-party government at this meeting. Under these circumstances I could not attend the M3 meeting and sent appropriate apologies.
I trust this clarifies the issues above.
The city remains committed to playing its role in implementing national housing policy in a legal, efficient and sustainable manner.
Helen Zille
Mayor of Cape Town
