According to some news reports, the ANC-led Umsunduze Municipality has stated that the KwaZulu-Natal Minister of Education and Culture, Mr. Narend Singh was taken out of the programme of the Youth Empowerment Conference scheduled for 31 July 2003, because his office had not confirmed his attendance.

The ANC-led Municipality said this in response to last Friday's statement issued by Minister Singh's office in which the Minister condemned the ANC-led Municipality for 'the worst display of political bias,' by forcing the organizers of the conference to take him out of the programme.

This response by the ANC-led Council is a blatant lie which does not stand the test of truth. Our office has a copy of a letter from Thuthuka Management Holdings, dated 12 July 2003, addressed to Minister Singh, which reads, inter alia: "Thuthuka Management Holdings together with Umsunduzi Municipality would like to thank you Honorable Minister for accepting our Pietermaritzburg Youth Conference invitation as confirmed by Mr. Haresh (Minister Singh's Personal Assistant)."

It is time the ANC-led Umsunduze Municipality are exposed for what they are; narrow-minded individuals who cannot see beyond the confines of party-political interests, even at the expense of delivery of services to the people of this Province. This stance must be strongly condemned by all peace-loving people of KwaZulu-Natal for it is completely antithetical to the tenets of democracy.