There is no official successor to the late Marlene van Staden as ANC councillors failed to attend a critical meeting to elect a new mayor for the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality.
The election was due on Tuesday 27 June at the Waterberg District Municipality council chamber.
The speaker of the municipality, Sinah Langa, called for the meeting to take place after much deliberation about the date. The meeting was called to elect a council member to replace Van Staden as mayor.
Unfortunately, with only administration officials and the 14 members of the opposition present, no quorum was reached.
The meeting was due to start at 12:00, but by 13:00 there was still no sign of the speaker or the ANC councilors. This caused frustration among members present who had to postpone appointments to attend the meeting. Municipal Manager Ben Thobela was present at the meeting.
The meeting can, according to the Municipal Structures Act, only take place with 51% of the total councilors present.
Councilor Dingaan Motswene of the DA stated that, according to the municipal bylaws, the meeting must be adjourned and another date be scheduled. Thobela agreed.
The opposition parties — DA, FF Plus, and EFF — who are leading the council in a coalition —met after the failed meeting.
It was then decided that a motion of no confidence should be instituted against the Speaker and a financial claim be laid personally against her.
“There was no attempt to communicate beforehand why none of the ANC councilors were present. The Municipal Manager and other members were not notified of their absence, even though the Speaker called for the meeting,” said Desiree van der Walt, the DA’s provincial constituency head.
“It was a waste of taxpayers’ money and everyone’s time. I do not think they were even prepared for this meeting. This delay in the process is undemocratic and it hampers service delivery.”
The DA has sworn in their newly appointed councilor, Wynand Bekker, the same morning. He replaces Van Staden as the DA’s proportional representation in the council. The DA also announced that their mayoral candidate is Hercules Louw of Mookgophong, who severed as a councilor in the municipality for many years.
With the ANC not in attendance, there was no indication of whom they might put forward for the mayoral position.
The opposition coalition decided to take the failed meeting up with higher authorities and hope to have a new meeting scheduled within 48 hours.
Johan Prinsloo, FF Plus councilor who replaced Van Staden as the interim mayor, will remain in the position until further notice.
- The DA in Bela-Bela is also in the process of finding a suitable candidate to replace the late Johan Mills. Mills, who passed away in May, served on the municipality’s executive committee at the time of his death.
According to Van der Walt, the DA extended their application period for potential candidates to apply for Mills’s proportional position in the council to Wednesday 28 June.
