Ditsobotla mayor resigns barely 24 hours after being elected

Barely 24 hours after being elected as mayor of the troubled Ditsobotla Local Municipality, the Patriotic Alliance’s (PA) Itumeleng Elizabeth Lethoko has resigned from the post.

Lethoko was elected as mayor on Monday during a council sitting in Mahikeng, an hour’s drive from Lichtenburg-headquartered Ditsobotla.

The PA said it supports Lethoko’s decision to resign from her post mere hours after being elected.

“This evening she tendered her resignation in writing to the speaker, Fikile Alfred Jakeni. It would be unconscionable of her to have continued in this role following the display of blatant corruption in council today.”

“She could not be complicit with such behaviour, nor be asked to answer for it,” the party said.

“Underhanded tactics”

In her letter to Jakeni, Lethoko said the PA cannot be associated “underhanded tactics” after a matter was tabled during the sitting.

“As you well know, following the conclusion of all the items on the council agenda, a surprise matter was tabled – that of appointing the administrator as the municipal manager.

“At no point did the ANC – your party – raise this important matter with me or the Patriotic Alliance’s president, Gayton McKenzie, who was present all day in the Ditsobotia council for such important coalition discussions,” she said.

Lethoko said the EFF was correct in protesting against the tabling of the matter, since any additional items should have been tabled through an addendum.

“My party, the Patriotic Alliance, will not be associated with underhanded tactics, which one can only presume are intended to cover up corruption in Ditsobotia.”

“This coalition government should not exist to protect wrongdoers from going to jail. If they have a case to answer for, they should be prosecuted and serve their sentences like the law-defying criminals they are,” she said.

State of municipality

Lethoko also lamented the state of the municipality

“The current state of the municipality is a patent disgrace: bucket toilets everywhere, old women who need to carry water on their heads, potholes like lunar craters. There were indeed issues in the municipality during my previous tenure, but the rate of decline and despair that ensued in subsequent years broke my heart.”

Lethoko applauded

PA deputy president Kenny Kunene applauded Lethoko for her “principled stance” and courage.

“The ANC members in council seemed eager to have me leave proceedings early today, after Ma Lethoko was elected, but I was determined to stay until the end. I’m very grateful that I did.”

“Stunts like these will never be tolerated by the PA. The ANC needs to learn that coalition government is very, very different to governing a council outright. They cannot keep doing the things that they took for granted before. They have to change their ways,” Kunene said.

Coalitions

Despite slamming the ANC, Kunene said the party entered into coalition politics to make a difference to the lives of people who do not care about politics.

“They just want to see change. They want better lives. That is what we came to Ditsobotia to ensure would happen. It will not happen if the ANC treats its coalition partners like imbeciles.”

“We will not be treated like fools, and they deserve to lose power here now, perhaps once and for all,” he said.

Nomination

Lethoko’s nomination was supported by the African National Congress (ANC) and Forum for Service Delivery

The ANC received 16 seats following the by-elections on 14 December, while opposition parties had 23 combined.

Monday’s sitting came after postponements and delays in swearing in councillors after the by-elections.

Sitting

The sitting was chaired by provincial Cogta official James Mashigo after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) objected to Ditsobotla administrator Radinaledi Mosiane presiding over meetings.

The red berets said his overseeing council business was illegal because his term of office ended on 16 December.

Controversy

The PA‘s Lethoko is not new to the mayoral post or controversy at the ailing council.

As former member of the ANC Lethoko was reportedly convicted of fraud and in breach of the Municipal Finance Management Act in 2015 for attempting to influence the finance chief to use municipal funds for a birthday party, disguised as a Women’s Day celebratory event.

The same court also found that Lethoko and her co-accused tried to influence the same official to pay R200 000 for services that amounted to irregular and unauthorised expenditure, according to the Mail & Guardian.

The incidents happened while she was ANC mayor in 2006.

Second chances

The PA said it was not deterred that Lethoko had a criminal record.

“We are a party of second chances and if people have paid their dues for whatever that they were accused of, we are able to give them a second chance. We have been given second chances ourselves, so we don’t judge people based on their past,” Kunene told SAFM..

Additonal reporting by Getrude Makhafola

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