DA to lodge Midvaal Paia application
The Democratic Alliance will submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application to learn the reasons for the decision to merge the Midvaal and Emfuleni municipalities.
"This will be done in terms of section 25 of the Municipal Demarcation Act," local government spokesman Fred Nel said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The municipal demarcation board (MDB) must be held accountable for its decisions and must explain its reasons in order to ensure that it adheres to the provisions of its own legal framework."
MDB spokesman Jabu Mthembu asked for questions to be e-mailed to him so he could respond later.
The merger was among 157 cases the MDB published on Tuesday, detailing what changes would be made to certain municipalities following the 2016 municipal elections.
The DA believed the decision was politically motivated.
"I call on the MDB to publish its reasons for the decision because this is in the public's interest. It must not delay doing so by hiding behind a Paia process."
The DA hoped the MDB would provide the information sought as a matter of urgency.
"Unfortunately its track record indicates otherwise as it has not yet responded to the Midvaal municipality's Paia application that was submitted more than two months ago," Nel said.
-Sapa