Emfuleni finally elects new MPAC Chairperson
“It is regrettable that there is a terrible culture of absenteeism, late arrivals and the general dereliction of duties taking place in the institution. There is absent leadership in management. The flock is without the shepherd in many departments,” said Mayor Sipho Radebe.
VANDERBIJLPARK – After several months, the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) finally filled in the important vacancy of the Municipal Public Account Committee (MPAC) chairperson.
This was after the position, which is responsible for the monitoring of the management of the public account in the municipality was left vacant at the end of May 2023 following the resignation of African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) Councillor, Sello George Mokhele, who left the position in a huff due to concerns over his safety. Mokhele had been in the position for just over a year. Earlier this year, Mokhele survived an alleged attempted hit after his vehicle was sprayed with numerous shots from unknown gunmen. The alleged assassins remain at large.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) used the 28 September 2023 ELM Council sitting to vote to have Councillor Tebogo Thlokwe as the new MPAC chair of the ELM. The chairperson of MPAC is appointed by Council in terms of section 79(2)(c) of the Structures Act and must be appointed by the opposition.
Thlokwe was once ‘elected’ the Sedibeng District Executive Mayor in a sitting where the ANC staged a walk-out.
ALSO READ: Tebogo Thlokwe elected as ‘mayor’ of Sedibeng District Municipality after ANC walk-out
At the same Council sitting, ELM Executive Mayor, Councillor Sipho Radebe, called for an ‘open and frank dialogue’ with ELM management, employees and organised labour to attend to ‘glaring and structural weaknesses in the institution’.
“It is regrettable that there is a terrible culture of absenteeism, late arrivals and the general dereliction of duties taking place in the institution. There is absent leadership in management. The flock is without the shepherd in many departments,” said the Radebe.
Radebe added that the ELM needed to ensure the timeous payment of all ELM commitments, especially Eskom. He also touched on the work of the public-public partnership to address the technical capacity to improve service delivery and the accommodation for an accounting treatment to relieve Emfuleni of the current financial ability to Rand Water.
“We held a workshop on the subject as councillors and random and took the report to various council structures. The Memorandum of Understanding is proposed to facilitate the partnership to allow for more discussion after the completion of the due diligence process,” he said.
The mayor also spoke about the October 2023 IDP and Budget Public Participation process.
“The October 2023 visit to all the five regions of the Vaal must be more meaningful and relevant to the key activities we are involved in and they must cement the partnership between the public and the government,” he said.
