SA Politics Thread Part 10 : The GNU Has Crashed

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TheChamp said:
Since when is being accountable to the public about the use of their money a waste of time?

The request is simple mnganam, can Cilliers Brink confirm or refute the costs of the Mayoral Parade as posted by Beaumont?
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Since when is accountability the same as entertaining bad-faith actors?

You’re calling for a response as if it’s some neutral request, when it’s coming from a party that’s been running a deliberate smear campaign. ASA’s credibility is in the mud — why should Brink dignify propaganda with a reply?

If there’s a legitimate concern about public funds, take it through proper channels. But expecting the DA / Brink to jump every time a 1% party throws bait on Twitter? That’s not accountability — that’s playing into theatrics.
 
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Priapus said:
Since when is accountability the same as entertaining bad-faith actors?

You’re calling for a response as if it’s some neutral request, when it’s coming from a party that’s been running a deliberate smear campaign. ASA’s credibility is in the mud — why should Brink dignify propaganda with a reply?

If there’s a legitimate concern about public funds, take it through proper channels. But expecting a senior public official to jump every time a 1% party throws bait on Twitter? That’s not accountability — that’s playing into theatrics.
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The only difference is that the DA started the hullabaloo about the parade, and Cilliers Brink proudly proclaimed how there were no horses at his parade. No one cares if there are horses, dogs or cats, it's the cost of the shindig that matters

ActionSA responds by posting figures showing that actually their parade cost far less that Cilliers Brink's parade, and Cilliers Brink disappeared.

So no, no one is expecting your senior public official to jump, I was expecting that he would at least disprove what Beaumont has said, but it's okay and totally understandable if he cannot, we all know the DA was very terrible on financial management in Tshwane and I totally understand why he would disappear.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Not legally possible even if they wanted to. They need to vote on a new bill to remove the VAT increase. And even if they manage to do that, they still need to plug the deficit that it's going to leave...
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They going to sell more debt. There is zero chance our economy is going to grow at the 1.9% estimate for this year.

So even with a vat increase we are doomed.
 
TheChamp said:
The only difference is that the DA started the hullabaloo about the parade, and Cilliers Brink proudly proclaimed how there were no horses at his parade. No one cares if there are horses, dogs or cats, it's the cost of the shindig that matters

ActionSA responds by posting figures showing that actually their parade cost far less that Cilliers Brink's parade, and Cilliers Brink disappeared.

So no, no one is expecting your senior public official to jump, I was expecting that he would at least disprove what Beaumont has said, but it's okay and totally understandable if he cannot, we all know the DA was very terrible on financial management in Tshwane and I totally understand why he would disappear.
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Right — and Brink’s tweet made a clear point: no fanfare, no extravagance, no horses — just a brass band and the national anthem in the courtyard. The message was about modesty, not spectacle.

Then ActionSA rolls in with their own parade and when questioned, tries to flip the narrative to "cost" — which, by the way, comes from a partisan post, not an audited statement. If the figures are real and relevant, they should be tabled in council, not tossed around on social media.

And let’s not pretend Brink "disappeared." Not engaging with a party known for political stunts isn’t evasion — it’s restraint. If ASA wants a serious response, they should try a serious channel. Otherwise, it’s just noise dressed up as accountability.
 
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Priapus said:
Right — and Brink’s tweet made a clear point: no fanfare, no extravagance, no horses — just a brass band and the national anthem in the courtyard. The message was about modesty, not spectacle.

Then ActionSA rolls in with their own parade and when questioned, tries to flip the narrative to "cost" — which, by the way, comes from a partisan post, not an audited statement. If the figures are real and relevant, they should be tabled in council, not tossed around on social media.

And let’s not pretend Brink "disappeared." Not engaging with a party known for political stunts isn’t evasion — it’s restraint. If ASA wants a serious response, they should try a serious channel. Otherwise, it’s just noise dressed up as accountability.
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Funny thing is that he was very happy to engage the same party known for political stunts when he thought he was winning the PR war, he only lost appetite of engaging when the costs were shared, I wonder why?
 
TheChamp said:
Funny thing is that he was very happy to engage the same party known for political stunts when he thought he was winning the PR war, he only lost appetite of engaging when the costs were shared, I wonder why?
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Ah, the classic “he engaged, so now he owes us endless engagement” argument.

Brink made one tongue-in-cheek remark — not exactly a PR campaign. He didn’t set up a press tour or start a thread war. He pointed out the irony, then moved on. ASA, on the other hand, is still banging the drum trying to turn Twitter into a courtroom.

And let’s not kid ourselves — when someone lobs an unaudited cost figure into the timeline, they’re not looking for truth, they’re fishing for retweets. Brink not playing along when the goalposts shift from optics to spin isn’t suspicious — it’s smart. Silence isn’t an admission; it’s a refusal to co-sign the circus.
 
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Priapus said:
Ah, the classic “he engaged, so now he owes us endless engagement” argument.

Brink made one tongue-in-cheek remark — not exactly a PR campaign. He didn’t set up a press tour or start a thread war. He pointed out the irony, then moved on. ASA, on the other hand, is still banging the drum trying to turn Twitter into a courtroom.

And let’s not kid ourselves — when someone lobs an unaudited cost figure into the timeline, they’re not looking for truth, they’re fishing for retweets. Brink not playing along when the goalposts shift from optics to spin isn’t suspicious — it’s smart. Silence isn’t an admission; it’s a refusal to co-sign the circus.
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Can we just agree it was just a wonderful coincidence that he lost the appetite to engage the party known for political stunts when it was shown his parade costs a lot more? I can totally live with that.
 
TheChamp said:
Can we just agree it was just a wonderful coincidence that he lost the appetite to engage the party known for political stunts when it was shown his parade costs a lot more? I can totally live with that.
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Can we also agree that the parade by the mayor was in piss poor taste?
 
TheChamp said:
Can we just agree it was just a wonderful coincidence that he lost the appetite to engage the party known for political stunts when it was shown his parade costs a lot more? I can totally live with that.
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Sure, let’s call it a “wonderful coincidence” if that helps you sleep better.
 
TheChamp said:
We first need to agree what makes a parade to be in poor taste, I have a feeling we have conflicting views on that.
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The fire personnel with axes and gold helmets in some sort of salute is poor taste and cringe AF wouldn't you agree?

She is merely the mayor, there is no need for such a crass display
 
ToxicBunny said:
The fire personnel with axes and gold helmets in some sort of salute is poor taste and cringe AF wouldn't you agree?

She is merely the mayor, there is no need for such a crass display
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No, I wouldn't agree, I don't care how creative the ceremony is, how blingy it is is, whether there are horses, cats or dogs, whether they wear makarapa or gold helmets.

I care about the costs, and my question right now is, if Cilliers Brink had such a simple ceremony, why did it cost over R200k more than the ceremony with horses and gold helmets?
 
TheChamp said:
No, I wouldn't agree, I don't care how creative the ceremony is, how blingy it is is, whether there are horses, cats or dogs, whether they wear makarapa or gold helmets.

I care about the costs, and my question right now is, if Cilliers Brink had such a simple ceremony, why did it cost over R200k more than the ceremony with horses and gold helmets?
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You should care... Cost aside she is a public servant not a ruler.

But until we have audited numbers that AuctionSA post cannot be believed unless some seriously creative accounting is undertaken.
 
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Mike Hoxbig said:
Not legally possible even if they wanted to. They need to vote on a new bill to remove the VAT increase. And even if they manage to do that, they still need to plug the deficit that it's going to leave...
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You think they might accede to DA demands of 0.5% VAT only for two years with other spending reforms?

Naturally, a Rates Amendment Bill will probably need to be setup and passed regarding any change in VAT.
 
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