ANC Tshwane caucus slams Stevens Mokgalapa, renames him ‘Gimmicks’

Following Democratic Alliance (DA) Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa’s statement in which he announced that he has extended the special leave of embattled former city manager Dr Moeketsi Mosola, comes a scathing ANC statement about the Tshwane mayor.

In a statement issued by the DA in July, the party claimed that Mosola would vacate his office at the end of July after he reached a mutual separation agreement with the City of Tshwane.

“The people of Tshwane should know that this decision was not taken lightly. The DA-led City has attempted on two occasions to suspend Masola for his role in the GladAfrica matter and for contravening the Code of Conduct for Municipal Staff members, set out in the Municipal Systems Act,” said DA Gauteng provincial leader John Moodey.

Sowetan reports that the period of Mosola’s special leave was extended on Wednesday, 31 July 2019, and confirmed by Mokgalapa in a statement.

This comes after the city’s employees went on strike earlier this week and shut down the Tswane CBD by blocking roads with buses and other municipal vehicles.

They demanded an 18% salary increase after finding out that Mosola will be getting a R7.5-million payout to exit his job before his contract ends in 2022.

The ANC Tshwane caucus has called the extension “unlawful” in a statement in which they claim to have “noted the absurd communique from the Executive Mayor’s office.”

“We note that the Executive Mayor has taken this decision while on an ‘all expenses paid’ Hauwei study tour in China with his team to learn about Smart Cities,” added the ANC in their statement.

The party then went on to recall the events of a 25 July council meeting in which the resolution for the City to part ways with Mosola was reached.

As a result of the outcomes of this meeting, the party believes it “is way out of line to even contemplate extending Mosola’s leave as he is no longer an employee of the City.”

“Mokgalapa doesn’t have authority to appoint a City Manager or even and acting City Manager,” added the ANC.

The party also took a swipe at the official opposition, claiming that Mokgalapa’s communique makes it “clear that lies and deception are part of the DA’s fibre.”

The party concluded by stating that they are considering going the legal route to overturn Mokgalapa’s decision but have, in the interim, called on the MEC of local government to intervene so as to resolve the impasse that has been “self-created by the Executive Mayor.”

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