The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced its intention to urgently launch legal action against what it calls the African National Congress (ANC)/Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)/Patriotic Alliance (PA)/Al Jama-ah “coalition of corruption” in the City of Johannesburg, for abuse of public funds, while also calling for the City Council to be urgently dissolved.

DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku noted that the “unholy alliance” between the ANC and the EFF, which she said had been aided and abetted in Joburg by the “sell-outs in the PA,” was diverting millions of rands towards providing luxury vehicles and VIP bodyguards to “their cronies and cadres”.

The City of Johannesburg will spend over R3-million a month on VIP protection with 60 bodyguards and 40 vehicles – emulating the blue-light culture that costs South Africa more than it sets aside for policing services for serious crimes.

This VIP protection applies to executives of the council and other office bearers such as the speaker, chief whip, chair of chairs, and chair of the municipal public accounts committee.

The total estimated cost of the vehicles, to purchase anew is about R28-million.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said this happened while the city teeters on the brink of financial and service delivery collapse.

She claimed that the PA’s MMCs for Housing and Transport will receive four VIP protectors and two luxury cars each.

“While the PA shares in the spoils of ANC/EFF corruption by getting bodyguards, the people of Joburg live in fear of criminals. While they get luxury vehicles, the people can barely afford fuel anymore,” she said.

She described this as the “self-serving nature of the ANC-EFF-PA coalition”, which claimed prioritised lavish perks for its members over the needs of Johannesburg’s residents.

“The fact that the PA – a wolf in sheep’s clothing that masquerades as an opposition party while facilitating ANC/EFF corruption – is complicit in this scandalous misuse of taxpayer funds, is a betrayal of the trust placed in them by the electorate,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.

She explained that in light of these revelations, the DA was taking urgent action against the PA’s “coalition of corruption” with the ANC and EFF.

“We cannot stand idly by while these looters squander public funds to fund their luxury lifestyles as Joburg crumbles. We will pursue every legal avenue available to us to ensure that this gross abuse of power is halted immediately,” she said.