Political stand-off in Lekwa after motion of no confidence in mayor and speaker
The Standerton Advertiser tried to get comment on the political front from the regional secretary of the ANC, without success and on municipal level, the communications manager, Ms Thobeka Mtshiselwa, acknowledged receipt of WhatsApp-messages, without elaborating on the lie of the land.
The political impasse in Standerton as regards the motion of no confidence in the mayor and speaker continues, since a special council meeting on Tuesday 3 March resulted in adjournment, with no quorum present.
According to Mr Rosier de Ville, caucus leader of the DA, a special council meeting would have been scheduled for Friday, 6 March, but not enough signatures were collected on a list to hold a meeting.
“The rules dictate that a register has to be signed, regardless of the number of people at a council meeting,” Mr De Ville said.
He added that no proper notification of the council meeting was given, nor an item on the agenda supplied.
The provincial executive committee of the ANC has made several stops to Lekwa and supporters outside the municipal building in Mbonani Mayisela Street were alert to the outcome of their decisions.
The sorry state of affairs originates to November 2018 when the DA put a motion of no confidence forward towards Mr Linda Dhlamini and Ms Makhosazana Khota.
That meeting was adjourned and the DA argued convincingly at a meeting on 31 January that the above item remained on the agenda.
The mayor and speaker were removed from office on 10 February, the ANC announced that they return to office and the ANC and the DA were at loggerheads.
The Standerton Advertiser tried to get comment on the political front from the regional secretary of the ANC, without success and on municipal level, the communications manager, Ms Thobeka Mtshiselwa, acknowledged receipt of WhatsApp-messages, without elaborating on the lie of the land.
DA-councillors such as Mr De Ville and Ms Sithi Silosini, as well as Mr Nicholas Selepe from the ANC, joined ranks in their disapproval of the undemocratic procedure.
“Our democracy is being attacked,” Mr De Ville then said.
“It is utter nonsense,” Mr Selepe contributed.
Ms Angel Khanyile, DA Member of Parliament, delivered an address in the parliamentary assembly about service delivery in Lekwa, saying the ANC-councillors do nor care about the residents of the town.
A resident, Mr Cedric Dhlamini, took the time to deliver a letter to the offices of the newspaper on Thursday, 5 March, outlining his views.
“When voters and ratepayers heard about the mayor and speaker returning to office, we would have been forgiven for thinking it’s April Fools Day in February,” Mr Dhlamini wrote.
“If it weren’t such a bizarre suggestion, it would have been funny.
“Is our democracy not being threatened when a legal resolution is turned around?”
Also read:
https://standertonadvertiser.co.za/101386/confusion-standerton-politicians-decision-return-mayor-speaker-office/
