New leadership for Mogale City but troubles not over yet

The embattled Mogale City local municipality could not pass its budget on Friday due to lack of quorum after the DA-led coalition members boycotted the council sitting.

The ANC grabbed power from the DA-led coalition in Mogale City this week and installed its mayor, Patrick Lipudi and new speaker, Noluthando Mangole.

But as fight back strategy, the DA along with its coalition partners boycotted the tabling of the municipal budget forcing the meeting to be cancelled as it had no quorum.

In terms of legislation, Mogale City was supposed to have passed the budget by today.

Indication was that the stalemate would remain for a long time as the opposition is fighting back against the removal of DA mayor, Michael Holenstein through a vote of no-confidence.

Holenstein was replaced by the ANC’s Lipudi who was voted with 39 votes against Holenstein’s 36.

The ANC would still struggle to pass the municipality’s budget in future unless it reaches a compromise with the opposition coalition about the way forward.

DA provincial leader John Moodey said the ANC tried to ram through what he termed the “ illegitimate Budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP)”, which was not taken to the people of Mogale City for their input.

He said the ANC had proven that they were not interested in meeting the needs of the people of Mogale City.

“They have demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to get back into power in Mogale City so they can merely further their corruption. The DA will not stop fighting for the change that the people of Mogale City called for. We, along with our partners, will not simply sit back and let the ANC further plunder municipal resources,” Moodey said.

ericn@citizen.co.za