MEC accused of bias for letting ANC councillors run amok

ANC members in the Mamusa municipality in North West are accusing MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Saliva Molapisi of bias in favour of one faction at the municipality.

This is after Molapisi allegedly failed to act against council speaker Gotsilekgosi Batsi when he and two other ANC councillors, Gontse Kock and Tumisho Tlhole, collaborated with the EFF to defy ANC council mandates.

Molapisi also refused to act against the three who retained municipal manager Frans Mabokela, although he was removed by council through a lawful resolution recently.

MEC refused to act against ANC councillors

A council meeting on 18 February resolved to remove Mabokela, who was seconded by the provincial government.

The council adopted a resolution to reinstate the previously dismissed municipal manager, Rantsho Gincane, after it failed to follow procedure in dismissing him in August last year.

Legal advice sought by council said that Gincane’s dismissal was unprocedural and illegal. The council reinstated him to avoid being sued.

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The council also took a resolution to remove Mabokela as acting municipal manager.

But Batsi and three other ANC councillors, supported by four EFF councillors, refused to accept Gincane’s reinstatement and insisted on retaining Mabokela in defiance of the resolution.

Mamusa executive mayor Mittah Chelechele reportedly wrote to Molapisi, the ANC provincial executive committee and the ANC regional leadership of Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region complaining about Batsi’s behaviour as the speaker.

Mayor wrote complaining about speaker

In the correspondence, Chelechele allegedly informed the MEC and the party about the “persistent pattern of conduct undermining the ANC caucus mandates, operations of the municipality and council and ANC resolutions by Batsi and the two other ANC councillors, Kock and Tlhole”.

Chelechele claimed the ANC councillors missed ANC caucus meetings without legitimate reasons and cooperated with EFF councillors to vote against an ANC caucus position that the vacant municipal manager post not be advertised until legal advice was obtained.

They also approved an additional R200 000 to pay a security company hired by the municipality in opposition to the ANC caucus mandate that council should not approve it.

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