Gift of the Givers, a humanitarian aid organisation, has been assisting communities devastated by floods with food parcels and water. Many of the areas are without electricity.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Media
A political storm has erupted in the DA-led Theewaterskloof Municipality after Mayor Lincoln de Bruyn was accused by his own coalition partners of allegedly taking humanitarian aid meant for flood victims and refusing to account for the donations.
The GOOD Party and the Social Revolutionary Workers Party (SRWP) have accused the mayor of loading some of the donated aid into his private vehicle while relief packages were being distributed at Victoria Hall in Caledon.
De Bruyn is also under fire after he allegedly contravened the municipality’s disaster relief policy, which authorises only municipal officials to receive aid on behalf of affected communities.
The Gift of the Givers has been working around the clock, and aid was donated following the severe storms that battered the area on May 11 and 12, including food parcels, personal hygiene packs, blankets and mattresses.
Residents were displaced across several towns under the municipality, including Grabouw, Caledon, Greyton, Genadendal, Riviersonderend, Villiersdorp, Botrivier and Tesselaarsdal.
Deputy mayor and GOOD councillor Cynthia Clayton said the handling of the aid raised serious concerns about whether it reached the intended vulnerable residents or was being used for political gain.
The Social Development Department in Riviersonderend requested humanitarian relief for 30 affected people. But the mayor and two DA Mayco members reportedly received the aid without informing the council.
DA coalition partners have called for transparency on what happened to aid donated by Gift of the Givers which was allegedly stuffed into the Theewaterskloof local municipality mayor's Lincoln de Bruyn car
Image: Screenshot
The aid never reached Riviersonderend. And made its way to Caledon instead. According to the Relief Policy, no councillor may receive relief aid directly. Only authorised municipal officials are permitted to receive and oversee distribution to affected beneficiaries.
“The mayor left a council meeting where the municipal manager was updating councillors about the situation and how the aid was going to be handled without telling anyone where he was going,” she said.
“We later found out that he left with two other DA councillors and went to the hall where the aid was being distributed."
"The DA Mayor failed to inform the other parties represented in Council about the relief resources intended for Riviersonderend. It appears that party politics may have influenced the handling of these relief resources, raising serious concerns about whether aid intended for vulnerable residents was used for political gain."
SRWP councillor Mhlawakhe Gana said party members were shocked to find De Bruyn and the other councillors allegedly loading aid into his vehicle when they rushed to Victoria Hall following the meeting.
“When we got there, his car was fully loaded, and we were confused about where he was taking it. We don’t know where they took them,” he said.
Gana said the mayor needed to account for the aid.
“That was meant for displaced people, but our fear is that they will use it to go campaign,” he said.
De Bruyn was contacted regarding the allegations last week. He initially requested to be called later because he was in a meeting at the time.
After questions were sent to him via WhatsApp, he responded that he had only gone to the hall to thank Gift of the Givers, not to receive aid.
Responding to a video allegedly showing blankets in his vehicle, De Bruyn said the items belonged to another councillor who did not have enough space in their car.
“I was at the Victoria Hall to thank Gift of the Givers and not to receive or distribute any parcels,” he said.
De Bruyn did not respond to follow-up questions.
According to the GOOD Party, the Department of Social Development in Riviersonderend had requested humanitarian relief for 30 affected people.
“These resources, provided by Gift of the Givers, were intended for Riviersonderend but did not reach the local council there; instead, they were delivered to Caledon,” Clayton said.
Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay confirmed that hot meals, blankets, personal hygiene packs, baby care packs and mattresses had been donated to the municipality.
“The teams are still actively on the ground assisting flood victims all over the Cape Metropole. Our teams have distributed in excess of 150,000 hot meals, blankets, personal hygiene packets, baby care packs and mattresses.
“In the Theewaterskloof area, the teams have assisted communities in Riviersonderend, Caledon, Greyton and Grabouw. Our teams are still actively on the ground. Some of the areas were cut off and are now only accessible,” he said.