Short notice of council meetings, no security for councillors during meetings and a letter from the mayor to the MEC asking for help in the municipality.
These are the main reasons why the DA has tabled a motion of no confidence against the mayor and the speaker, according to Gavin Edwards, a councillor of the main opposition.
‘The council is not functional at all. We can’t perform our oversight role because incomplete reports are served before the council and we receive the paperwork too late to be able to prepare properly for council meetings. In addition, aggressive elements have disrupted council meetings on two occasions,’ he said.
He believes that a motion of no confidence is, therefore, the last resort ‘to save our dying municipality’.
Members of the public disrupted a closed session of council and, more recently, from the gallery during an open session.
‘The ANC council ignores our requests for better controls during meetings to ensure the safety of all.
‘The speaker’s conduct is a clear consequence of the total collapse of the municipality under Khumalo and Mogoeemang,’ said Edwards.
Willie Maphosa, the municipal spokesperson, confirmed the disruptions by members of the public but noted that council meetings are also disrupted when the opposition walks out, making it impossible to form a quorum.
‘A report from the relevant managers with regard to the security of the council chambers has been submitted to the MM and the Speaker,’ he added.
According to Maphosa, the motion will be carried over to the next ordinary council meeting for debate because it was served less than seven days before the council meeting scheduled for Friday.
‘We have a letter in our possession in which the mayor asks the MEC for Local Government, Fenny Goaloalwe to intervene in the financial and budget management e.g. preparation and submission of annual statements, service delivery and non-compliance in administration related to human resources management and legal issues, among others.
‘It is clear that these reasons, which include all the core functions of local government, are grounds for our motion of no confidence,’ said Edwards.
According to Victor Boqo, the mayoral spokesperson, the letter was never sent to the MEC as it first had to be discussed in council.
‘As the opposition did not attend the meeting, no resolution could be made,’ he said. According to him, the mayor was referring to help with expertise as vacant posts within the departments have not been filled. These posts include those of four experienced finance officials who left the municipality – two of whom retired and the other found guilty of corruption.
‘In essence, the executive mayor’s letter suggests he no longer has confidence in his ability to lead,’ says Edwards. ‘Which, of course, raises the question: Why should the opposition or even the ANC have confidence in him? We simply believe that our community deserves better. We need a credible council that protects and promotes the rights and needs of our people.
‘The wheels are coming off in NW405, just as we warned they would. Infighting, cadre deployment, corruption, fraud and a lack of integrity are taking their toll,’ said Edwards.
