As Tshwane elephants fight, residents’ needs get trampled

Political goals seem to be taking precedence over the needs of citizens as those elected to govern prioritise their hunger for power.

There are no winners in the battle for Tshwane, but ratepayers are the biggest losers as the fight for power over the capital is happening at their expense.

The capital city was in limbo at the start of the month with no leadership. Since the resignation of mayor Stevens Mokgalapa took effect last week, his mayoral committee has been dissolved.

And in Johannesburg, the ANC allegedly instructed that all projects initiated by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the City of Joburg to be canned, even if they were effective.

The ANC was also allegedly purging all senior officials who worked under the ousted DA-led administration.

This was claimed by DA caucus leader in the City of Joburg, Funzela Ngobeni, who yesterday tendered his resignation, apparently to join former mayor Herman Mashaba’s new political movement.

But in Tshwane, the city is teetering on the verge of collapse as the parties bicker. Council was meant to elect a new mayor on Thursday, but the meeting collapsed when the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) staged a walkout. This prevented the adjusted budget for the 2019-20 financial year being approved. The two parties vowed they would not participate in council meetings until speaker Katlego Mathebe resigns.

Both parties were also absent from a special council meeting on Friday to extend the period of service of acting city manager Augustine Makgata.

According to ANC leader Kgosi Maepa, their no-show was because Mathebe called the meeting at the last minute.

But the parties are playing hard politics and an impasse should be expected leading up to the 2021 local government election, said political analyst Somadoda Fikeni.

Tshwane council meetings have failed at least six times recently due to walkouts.

“In the long run, this is going to collapse the municipality because without budget appropriation, you will not have a municipal manager.

“We currently do not have a mayor and, ultimately, it may hit when salaries are not paid.

“No party will come back covered in glory in the next local government elections,” Fikeni said.

Because of these “political animals”, the people will ultimately take a back seat, analyst Professor Barry Hanyane said.

“Let’s not forget, we are dealing with the minds and psyche of political animals who will give priority to political games.

“It may present itself as a game, but the interests of the poor are going to suffer. It is such administrative goals that in themselves are achieved and managed within a political view.”

While electoral reform was required to ensure political accountability, it was up to the constituencies, residents and civil society to put the pressure on.

“[Parties should collectively] move away from partisan politics and find each other. As much as the trophy is about political power, it is the ordinary folk who end up being losers.”

Gauteng MEC of cooperative governance and traditional affairs Lebogang Maile was to escalate Tshwane’s problems to national minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The city is still under the intervention imposed by Maile, according to section 139 (1)(a) of the constitution.

He said: “I won’t allow things to collapse in our hands. We have that responsibility. The law clearly states what we must do and we must follow the law to its letter to make sure there is no vacuum.”

He added that the absence of leadership did not have to bring the city to a standstill.

“This doesn’t mean things stop. Tshwane needs a budget and a manager. We will intervene. We have a team working with the city and we will deploy them at the next council meeting,” Maile said.

But should Mathebe preside over the meeting, the ANC and the EFF might stay away again.

Maepa said he would not sit through a meeting run by an “illegitimate” speaker. “We lost confidence in the speaker a long time ago,” he added.

The Economic Freedom Fighters’ Moafrika Mabogwana said: “If she refuses to resign and she calls a meeting, the first item on the agenda will be to remove her.”

But Mathebe told The Citizen she was not quitting: “For what? I am doing my work and I am doing it very well,” she said.

All the parties had done was show that once they got into power, they all behaved the same, Fikeni said. “They want power and if they don’t get it, they toss their toys out at the expense of the people.” – rorisangk@citizen.co.za

INFO

• Over the past decade, the number of municipalities in financial distress has nearly doubled from 64 (22.6%) to 125 (48.6%), while the number of municipalities disestablished in the same period is 26, reducing the municipalities from 283 to 257.
• Of concern is that 56 of the 64 municipalities distressed in 2009, have been classified as distressed more than once, with eDumbe in KwaZulu-Natal, Emalahleni in Mpumalanga and Maluti-a-Phofung in Free State having appeared seven times on the list. – Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse

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