Staff unable to get any work done because of chaos, absence of NC mayor

Former mayor of Phokwane Sentse Kalman (left) and Speaker Horatius Modiakgotla in the Northern Cape High Court. The former mayor and Speaker were expelled by the ANC in June this year. File photo: DFA.

Former mayor of Phokwane Sentse Kalman (left) and Speaker Horatius Modiakgotla in the Northern Cape High Court. The former mayor and Speaker were expelled by the ANC in June this year. File photo: DFA.

Published Aug 8, 2019

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The ANC in the province has explicitly indicated that the ousted Phokwane Municipality mayor, Sentse Kalman, and Speaker, Horatious Modiakgotla, are not welcome at Thursday’s council meeting that has been convened to appoint their replacements.

There are concerns that the council meeting will be disrupted again, as supporters who are demanding the reinstatement of Kalman and Modiakgotla have previously staged protests at the municipality.

Councillors have also been warned that if they continue to prevent the appointment of a new a mayor and Speaker, they will be charged for misconduct.

The councillors have abstained from attending the past four council meetings, while opposition parties have staged walk-outs.

This has resulted in the budget not being approved at the beginning of the financial year on July 1.

The administrator had to refer the budget to the MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs.

Provincial Treasury has in the meantime approved a temporary budget.

Municipal staff said that they were unable to get any work done because of the chaos, infighting and absence of a mayor and Speaker.

It is believed that the two expelled ANC members, Kalman and Modiakgotla, met again with ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule this week to request further intervention.

ANC provincial spokesperson, Naledi Gaosekwe, indicated that Kalman and Modiakgotla were expelled from the party and were neither ANC members nor councillors.

“They are not allowed to represent the ANC. If they wish to attend the council meeting they should do so in their personal capacity, as an ordinary member of the public.”

Gaosekwe added that an ANC mandate was given that Cylvia Keamogetse Mothibi should be elected as the new mayor and Francis Gcaleka Molola as the Speaker.

“All councillors must attend the council meeting and are expected to abide by the decision taken by the ANC,” she said.

Kalman and Modiakgotla were instructed to vacate their positions at the beginning of June.

Ngxanga had on Tuesday reminded the ANC chief whip that several attempts to elect a mayor and Speaker had been unsuccessful.

Ngxanga indicated that he would personally attend the council meeting to observe and oversee the process.

Ngxanga instructed all ANC councillors to attend today’s council meeting.

“This meeting is not optional but compulsory. ANC councillors who deliberately and wilfully decide not to attend to prevent a quorum at the meeting will make themselves guilty of a serious offence.”

He warned that the ANC Regional Executive Committee would take disciplinary action against defiant councillors.

“We cannot continue to have a municipality that is in limbo due to ANC councillors that abdicate their council responsibilities. Comrades that derelict their responsibilities have no place to serve as ANC public representatives in Phokwane Municipality. Service delivery can no longer take a back seat at the municipality.”

The spokesperson for the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Xhanti Teki, stated that councillors would be charged if they continued to frustrate council.

“All processes are being followed to ensure that council is convening and forming a quorum. The administrator is taking all the necessary decisions to ensure that service delivery is not negatively affected. A notice has been issued for a council meeting to elect a mayor and Speaker today.”

DFA

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