Ficksburg Mayor: Contempt and arrogance have replaced empathy and compassion

Lindiwe Mazibuko, DA National Spokesperson
19 April 2011

In any election there are key moments when a general attitude is captured perfectly by a particular action. Yesterday South Africa bore witness to one such moment, when the mayor of Ficksburg, Mbothoma Maduna, giggling as he pulled from his office refrigerator a bottle of mineral water, said: "People say there is no water in this town. What is this?" Rarely are contempt and arrogance brought together in such a powerful way: a sheer disdain for the public and those people, especially the poor, for whom basic services like access to water are fundamental, not just to their dignity, but their very ability to survive on a day-to-day basis. Read more ...