Rustenburg - The executive mayor of Rustenburg Mpho Khunou resigned from his position on Tuesday.
This followed a court application by the Democratic Alliance, seeking the North West High Court in Mahikeng to set aside the election of speaker of council.
DA Constituency leader in Rustenburg Herman Groenewald, said the election of Sheila Mabale-Huma on August 19, was unlawful.
The party maintained that presiding officer Seth Ramagaga was supposed to adjourn the meeting when the results for the speaker ended in a tie, instead he called for a re-run, where Mabale-Huma beat Boswa Ledwaba from the Forum 4 Service Delivery by 46 votes against 43 to take the position.
The court application was expected to be heard in Mahikeng on Thursday, but Mabale-Huma resigned last week and the court bid fell off.
He said since the election of the speaker was irregular on August 19, everything she presided on was also irregular hence the resignation of the mayor and single whip of council, Lekgotla Mataboge.
“We are happy we showed them the election was illegal…,” he said.
A special council meeting is scheduled for Friday, to elect the mayor and the single whip. Mabale-Huma was re-elected Speaker unopposed on Tuesday, after opposition parties staged a walked over.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it was not going to sit a an illegal meeting.
“The EFF will not be part of any illegal constituted meetings. We are not stupid, the Speaker resigned because the process that elected her was fault. We do not recognised the mayor and the single whip of council. We do not have a mayor because the process that elect the speaker was irregular and all that she presided over was illegal,” said Abinaar Matlhako.
He further objected that the acting municipal manager of Rustenburg, Victor Makona, should preside over the meeting saying he was not fit to because his contract with the municipality expired on September 30.
“Now that your contract expired, you are sitting there illegally, you are presiding over this meeting illegal,” he said before he led EFF councillors out of the meeting.
The Forum 4 Service for Delivery (F4SD) led by Rocky Malebana-Metsing were absent at the sitting.
African News Agency