Although she was stripped of her decision making powers, the mayor has constitutional responsibilities which at this stage have been reduced to mainly ceremonial affairs.
The man making all the decisions now, Mr Theo van Vuuren, said the mayoral committee members are now normal Proportional Representative Councillors and are executing functions as may be allocated to them by the Chief Whip, the Caucus Leader and also the Speaker of Council.
Van Vuuren said he is in discussion with them in this respect and the issue of their salaries has not been finalised.
The bomb exploded when members of the Provincial Executive Council for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Vusi Shongwe and Member of the Provincial Executive Council for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Ms Refilwe Mtsweni visited the local municipality on Tuesday, September 30 breaking the news of the Provincial Executive Council’s decisions.
The positions of the Executive Mayor and members of the mayoral committee (MMC) have been suspended for the duration of the intervention that was extended for another six months.
The people affected by this decision were: Cllr Salome Sithole (Executive Mayor) and the following members of the Mayoral Committee Paul van Castle (Local Economic Development), Leslie Nhlapo (Development and Planning), Connie Similane (Infrastructure and Basic Services), Derick Skosana (Public Safety), Thandi Mokwena (Finance) and Leonah Ntshalintshali (Administration and Resource Management). In practise they are reverting to normal Proportional Representative Councillors.
Speaker of the Council, Cllr Augustine Mkwanazi continues to chair the council and perform her duties in respect of ward councillors and community matters.
Likewise the Council’s Chief Whip, Cllr Sunday Mathebula, is also not affected by this announcement.
