It isn’t over until the fat lady sings seems to be appropriate about the rumours surrounding the council of the Lekwa Municipality.
Several council meetings were adjourned pending a decision on the reinstatement of the mayor and speaker.
More than a month has passed since the posts filled by Mr Linda Dhlamini and Ms Makhosazana Khota have been vacated.
The Standerton Advertiser was alerted last week to the possibility of the municipality being put under administration, but the communications manager of Lekwa, Ms Thobeka Mtshiselwa, indicated on Monday, 16 March that no official communications had been received from the relevant provincial departments.
The DA tabled a motion of no confidence in the mayor and speaker last November and they were removed from their positions, after the necessary votes showed which way the wind was blowing.
The party stuck to their guns and had the motions of November 2018 successfully put back on the agenda. At three council meetings, no quorum could be reached to have the officials return to office.
Not everyone had been following party protocol and according to a trustworthy source, 18 ANC-councillors are faced with disciplinary action from the ruling party.
Also read:
https://standertonadvertiser.co.za/101588/da-holds-firm-provincial-anc-caucus-can-not-rule-council/
The provincial and regional executive committees are, according to information, considering redeployment.
Mr Rosier de Ville, caucus leader of the DA, said last week that a council meeting was scheduled for Friday, 21 March, but a letter from the Gert Sibande District Municipality, conformed to the nationwide adherence to meetings, with more than a 100 people, being cancelled.
The newspaper tried to ascertain on Friday whether a meeting was in progress, protesters were nowhere to be seen and only one police officer was spotted.
No council meeting was held however.
Council meetings in Mbonani Mayisela Street were usually the place to be and those for or against the two made their voices heard, awaiting the outcome of a decision.
At one meeting, the crowd made their dissatisfaction crystal clear.
Ms Sithi Silosini, PR-councillor of the DA, previously said there is a feeling on grass-root level that the two officials should not be returned to office.
The only option in her words was to call for the council to be dissolved and new candidates to be proposed.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGta) has not released their Section 106-investigation report about alleged corruption and maladministration in the municipality. Mr De Ville previously said applying for an interdict is a possibility.
“A motion of no confidence implies dissatisfaction with the municipality from within council, as well.”
Service delivery is uppermost in residents’ minds with water interruptions and sewage leakages reported on WhatsApp-groups.
The Standerton Advertiser is in possession of a letter, in which the delay in building of the mall with resulting employment opportunities, is discussed. The letter demands that construction work begins.
Lekwa’s mayoral committee issued a statement as far back as 22 January about issues of concern to the public in which the development of the mall was mentioned.
A resolution that was taken said that all concerned parties, including the Department of Planning and Economic Development, Department of Corporate Services: legal section and the developers of the Standerton Mall should come to a conclusion on the service level agreement that entails provision of bulk services and rates.
Not to muddy the waters, but the spreading of the coronavirus is on the agenda as well.
Ms Silosini issued an urgent press release on Thursday, 20 March, saying the residents of Ext 6, 7 and 8 have had no clean running water for more than a week and parts of Ward 15 have no water supply at all, let alone clean water.
The DA called on the chairman of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation to convene an urgent meeting with all stakeholders to discuss the urgent need to repair and maintain water and sanitation infrastructure in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We also call on Cogta’s MEC, Mr Mandla Msibi, to intervene and arrange water tankers with clean water, especially in areas in Ward 15 where there is no water whatsoever,” the statement concluded.
