ANC councillors join DA to remove Standerton’s ANC mayor and speaker

The executive mayor of the Lekwa Municipality in Standerton Linda Dhlamini and the speaker Harriet Khota have been removed in a motion of no confidence.

Most of those who voted in favour of the DA motion were ANC councillors, even though Dhlamini and Khota are ANC members.

After a struggle of almost 14 months to have a motion of no confidence tabled against the Mpumalanga town’s mayor and speaker, it was eventually discussed on Monday.

The motion against Dhlamini was based on, among other things, failure to stop raw sewerage flowing into the Vaal River and a lack of service delivery.

Dhlamini was also blamed for the municipality’s disastrous financial situation.

Khota was accused of an inability to implement council resolutions and a failure to run council meetings efficiently.

The council of 30 members is made up of 23 ANC councillors, five DA councillors and two councillors from the EFF.

During a secret ballot, 15 councillors voted to have the mayor and speaker removed, 10 abstained and one voted against the motion. Four ANC councillors did not attend the meeting.

The council resolved that municipal manager Gugulethu Mhlongo-Ntshangase will run the council until a new mayor and speaker are elected.

DA MP Angel Khanyile claimed that shortly after the motion of no confidence, the town’s electricity supply was cut. Power was only restored after she called the Mpumalanga department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs.

She said an investigation was under way to establish if it was sabotage.

Neither Dhlamini nor Khota could be reached for comment.

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