CoGTA to appeal court order interdicting council sitting
The department says that the date set by court for the hearing of the case leaves council in limbo for practically a month
Following yesterday’s court order interdicting a special council meeting set for today (March 30), the Department of Co-operative Governance & Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) says it still maintains that it is in the best interest of the municipality and its citizens for the council meeting to be convened. CoGTA plans to appeal the court order.
“It is also disturbing that the department was not given sufficient time to prepare for the court proceedings yesterday, as the papers were only received a few hours before. The Municipal Structures Act and the Standing Rules of Council give the MEC the authority to call for a special council meeting when the municipality’s internal processes have failed. The department heavily relied on both when it decided to call for this special council.
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“Of particular concern to the department is the date set by the court for the hearing of the case, which practically leaves the council in limbo for a good month. This means a prolonged period of disruption on decision-making and subsequently service delivery to the people of this municipality,” commented CoGTA.
On the other side of the coin, municipal speaker Bheki Sithole said that, as the municipality, they had to apply for an urgent court order to prevent the MEC from usurping the powers of the speaker and also protect the will of the communities of Alfred Duma.
“We fully understand how the MEC and the ruling party are hungry for this municipality, and they will do anything to illegally take control. The people of Alfred Duma trusted us and therefore we will serve in their best interests to ensure that service delivery is not disturbed by hungry individuals,” said Sithole.
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