Rustenburg - Rustenburg council speaker Sheila Mabale-Huma has resigned from her position after a high court action challenging the validity of her election last month.
This is the second time Mabale-Huma has been forced out of the office of the speaker - she was initially fired from the same position by the ANC in 2008.
But she was elected speaker again in a drama-filled first council sitting last month, which saw the ANC retain the platinum-rich municipality in the North West after the local government elections.
Her election came after votes recounted in a council sitting showed her tied with Bosa Ledwaba from the Forum for Service Delivery at 44 votes each.
Following a recount, Mabale-Huma was announced as the winner with 46 votes against Ledwaba’s 43.
But it has emerged that, according to the law, in the event of tie presiding officer Seth Ramagaga ought to have adjourned the voting for the speaker’s position and called for another round within seven days.
On Monday Mabale-Huma’s lawyers wrote to the DA, which is challenging the legality of her election in the Mahikeng High Court, informing the party that she had resigned.
“Councillor Mabale-Huma resigned as it is in the interests of good governance and all concerned that certainty be obtained as soon as possible in regard to the position of the speaker and to enable the municipality to implement its obligation to the people of Rustenburg,” read the lawyers’ letter.
“Her resignation will allow the process to re-elect a councillor to the position of speaker to commence as soon as possible to enable the municipality to get on with the important business and to avoid unnecessary delays and distraction caused by the court process.”
The lawyers further stated that Mabale-Huma’s resignation “disposes of the litigation” by the DA.
But it was still unclear if the DA would be abandoning its court action in the wake of the development.
The party had also sought relief on the legality of Ramagaga – from the provincial government – presiding over the first council meeting in the presence of the municipal manager, who was required by law to preside.
Due to the legal battle the Rustenburg Local Municipality has been in a state of paralysis, unable to hold further council meetings to discuss policy approve budget and undertake service delivery.
Rustenburg mayor Mpho Khunou said he hoped that Mabale-Huma’s resignation would render the DA’s court action “inconsequential”.
He said that although there were no timelines as to when a new speaker could be elected, the municipality wanted to get on with the business of service delivery.
Mabale-Huma’s resignation is likely to please opposition parties, who had been left stunned by the ANC’s retention of the municipality they had expected it to lose last month.
Asked for comment, Mabale-Huma said it was not her fault that the process followed in her election had been brought into question by the DA. “The DA is not questioning the results I got but the procedure of which to me doesn’t matter because it wasn’t my fault,” she said.
The Star