Another day, another Limpopo ANC councillor in trouble

Several Limpopo ANC councillors have been in trouble with the law recently for violation of lockdown regulations, and now one in the Giyani municipality is facing charges of theft, for allegedly stealing electricity poles and cables.

Despite numerous calls from the public and opposition parties to have the councillor sacked, his political coterie in the council said they harbour the belief that “one is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law”.

“We are not saying this councillor is innocent or guilty, we are only saying that he has allegations leveled against him and the matter has been reported to the police, who are currently running the case – hence he is in court today,” said Greater Giyani Municipality spokesperson, Steven Mabunda, on Thursday. “We are saying we will respect all the processes of the courts to unfold until finality and take action, pending the outcome of the court proceedings.”

The councillor, Christoph Risimati Rikhotso of Ward 21 in Giyani, was arrested on March 24. He appeared in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court days later where he was granted R1,000 bail. He was in court again on Wednesday, but now calls for his head have intensified.

The ANC in Limpopo is said to be livid about the alleged conduct of the councillor and demanded an official briefing from the region at the provincial headquarters.

The EFF accused the ANC of romanticising crime.

“We are baffled that the councilor was nabbed, appeared in court twice on the matter and no action has been taken so far. This is proof enough that the ANC in that municipality is protecting a thieving councillor. We want the council to take action in that municipality, and the ANC in the region and the province to follow suit. This is not a banana republic where people commit crime and go scot-free. If they fail to take action, we will be forced to chip in and show them how local government is run,” EFF Mopani regional chairperson Pontsho Mashumu said on Thursday.

The ANC Youth League has also called for the councillor to face the full might of the law and to recuse himself from council activities.

“We call on everyone to adhere to the call of building crime free communities. Anyone who hinders such a call remains the enemy of the ANCYL. It is with great sadness, regret and embarrassment that the ANC faces this kind of a situation at a time the country is suffering from persistent power cuts. We therefore appeal to the region to make sure that this councillor is excused from his job,” said the ANC Youth League Giyani sub-region in a statement.

The ANC in the region said the party viewed the matter in a very serious light and offered to comment once they have been adequately briefed about the matter by the municipality.

“We are just waiting for a report from the speaker of the council in that municipality to brief us, and take a decision thereafter,” said the ANC regional spokesperson, Sonia Ngobeni.

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