Axed Sedibeng District Municipality mayor Lerato Maloka appears ready to stand for re-election despite being ousted in a vote of no confidence two weeks ago. Picture: Nokuthula Mbatha / Independent Newspapers
THE ANC and the DA will battle for the Sedibeng District Municipality mayoral chain after this week’s council meeting was called off following the unleashing of teargas or pepper spray in the chambers.
The meeting was called to elect a new mayor following the ousting of former mayor Lerato Maloka through a motion of no confidence tabled by the DA two weeks ago, with 26 councillors voting in favour of her axing and 21 against.
In the 49-member council, the ANC has 19 seats while the DA has 16, the EFF has six, two each for the FF+ and the PAC as well as one each for the ACDP, New Horizon Movement (NHM), Community Solidarity Association (CSA) and VAAL.
Maloka was elected mayor with the support of the PAC, NHM, and CSA and all three parties were represented in her mayoral committee.
Insiders claim some councillors and ANC leaders in the Sedibeng region want Maloka to return while others are lobbying for speaker Moipone Modikeng to replace her.
The ANC’s Velile Mkhontwana did not respond to questions on whether Maloka or Modikeng would be the party’s candidate.
Instead, he said: “At the moment, as the ANC, we have no information as to what exactly led to the disruption of the Sedibeng District Municipality council sitting yesterday (Wednesday). As soon as we have ascertained all the facts, we shall advise accordingly.”
DA Sedibeng caucus leader Sibusiso Dyonase accused the ANC of trying to bring back Maloka to stand for re-election as mayor.
”As the DA, we are ready for them, we know that they are not going anywhere. We will ensure that we monitor their actions. We do not want an ANC government here in Sedibeng again, we do not want Maloka as our mayor,” he said.
Dyonase confirmed that the DA will put forward its own candidate, who will be revealed on the day of the election.
He said Wednesday’s incident was a delaying tactic by the ANC.
According to Dyonase, councillors were already in chambers when they started smelling teargas or pepper spray.
”We started smelling that. People started coughing and trying to run outside as they were scared and running for their lives. When we were exiting, through all that commotion, you can imagine, people are coughing and running outside. One of the DA councillors collapsed in that whole situation but she woke up and we took her outside,” he explained.
Dyonase said Modikeng informed councillors that she was waiting for health and safety officials to conduct an inspection but security guards walked into the council chambers but they did not have monitors.
”The security guards decided that it was not safe to proceed with the council meeting after a while,” he explained.
Dyonase said Modikeng has indicated that she would like to have another council meeting on Tuesday to elect a new mayor.
Opposition parties have accused Maloka of failing in her statutory and moral obligations, its employees, and residents in that while Sedibeng struggled to pay salaries, she spent more than R500 000 on a trip to Germany.
She refused to use a council-owned Mercedes Benz GLB provided to her for an entire year and when she was finally forced to use it, the vehicle developed mechanical problems and mechanics later found that brown sugar had been poured into the engine.
During Maloka’s tenure, the mayoral chain valued at R465 000 mysteriously disappeared after she delivered the State of the District Address in 2023.
The municipality said it has not yet identified the culprits behind the disruption of Wednesday’s council sitting.
”A case has been opened at the Vereeniging police station for proper investigation. All media houses and the general public will be informed in due course. The council could not convene after four hours of delays post disruptions, due to the unavailability of IEC (Electoral Commission of SA) and the magistrate who had to leave the venue after waiting too long from 1pm.”
loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za
Related Topics: