North West municipality speaker quits under pressure

Speaker of Moses Kotane local municipality Gugu Mtshali has resigned, ending weeks of speculation about her future after the ANC in the North West instructed her to step down.

There were rumours initially that Mtshali intended to challenge the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) decision for her to go.

But on Friday she wrote a letter to the provincial secretary, Louis Diremelo, to inform him of her resignation.

North West municipality speaker gone

However, in the letter Mtshali urged the PEC to hold the entire Moses Kotane ANC caucus accountable for the state of affairs in the council and the council meeting on 21 October that was abruptly postponed.

Mtshali was accused of being responsible for this due to disruptive behaviour.

There were also allegations of corruption against the speaker.

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Her office allegedly attempted to solicit a bribe from a service provider renovating the audio system of the council chamber.

The contractor reported to the council there had been a demand for R50 000 from the speaker’s office for the job.

Numerous attempts to get Mtshali’s comment on the matter failed and municipal manager, Mokopane Letsoalo did not respond to queries either.

ANC councillors fighting

Moses Kotane Municipality has been marred by infighting among ANC councillors who are divided into two camps: one led by Mtshali and another by mayor Nketu Nkotswe that were at each other’s throats.

In the letter, Mtshali told the PEC that every year ANC councillors working with the opposition submit motions of no confidence against her.

“ANC councillors lead the motion of no confidence against a fellow ANC councillor deployed as a speaker.

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“I requested an audience with the provincial secretary who did not provide that platform.

“It was never easy as speaker to preside over a council with consistent motions of no confidence and no support from the ANC caucus and leadership,” Mtshali said.

She alleged that as part of the attempts to remove her as speaker, in 2022 some people called the police claiming that Mtshali had an illegal firearm in her car during a council meeting.

The police searched the car but found nothing.

North West municipality ‘captured’

Mtshali also claimed that after being sworn in as speaker on 21 November, 2021, she witnessed how the municipality’s administration assumed the responsibilities of politicians instead of doing their jobs as managers.

She said the municipality was captured by officials and business people outside the Moses Kotane jurisdiction.

She indicated that she and others had avoided raising issues for fear of being purged.

“I have presided over a council where everyone has always feared to challenge those who do wrong, where the silence of those who chose to be safe rather than be purged is perceived as condonement of all the wrong done by the administration.”

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