Motion of no confidence filed against mayor
"The mayor must go!", demands the red brigade.
A motion of no confidence has been filed by the EFF to remove Sechele Sebolai, mayor of the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality, only eight months after the mayoral chain was hung around his neck.
Sebolai, an ANC councilor, has taken a stance and said the motion aims to divert the focus off service delivery and that, for the sake of stability and ongoing service delivery in the municipality, they will not be thwarted.
Following former DA mayor Marlene van Staden’s sudden demise in June last year after being diagnosed with cancer, Sebolai garnered the most votes to fill the position. During the vote, 17 of the municipality’s 28 councilors voted in favor of Sebolai, with 11 voting for the DA’s Hercules Louw. Sebolai was set to fill the seat for the remaining three years of the term until the next municipal elections in 2026.
The DA, EFF, and FF Plus have worked together since the amalgamation of Modimolle and Mookgophong towns in 2016, which placed DA councilors in the seats of the mayor and speaker. The ANC has 14 seats, the same as the combined seats of the DA (7), the EFF (4) and the FF Plus (3). Sebolai being voted into the mayoral position last year meant that three councilors of the opposition voted with the ANC councilors, which led Julius Malema, national leader of the party, to lash out at councilors not toeing the party line during a television interview where he mentioned the municipality.
The list of the EFF’s grievances in the motion includes lost tender documents, the reversed appointment of the legal manager without providing reasons, misleading the council that the shortlisting and interview of the technical director position were properly followed (it has been re-advertised), not accepting community members as whistleblowers which lead to many of them being served with protection orders, a security report that has not been presented to council, the lack of transparency in financial statements with expenditure transactions in contravention of the supply chain requirements.
The EFF stated that Sebolai’s election has undermined the people of the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality. They said that a new mayor should be elected at the next council meeting. Lesetja Monyela, EFF caucus leader in the municipality, filed the motion.
The ball is in the hands of the speaker, Sinah Langa, to decide whether councilors will vote on the issue during the next council meeting which is scheduled for Thursday 29 February.
Both the DA and FF Plus indicated that they would comment at a later stage as they first want to scrutinize and discuss the allegations in the motion. At the time of going to press the EFF did not respond to our inquiries.
