The DA is forging ahead with the election of a new mayor in Tshwane despite the fact that council has been dissolved and the metro placed under administration. In the latest twist, acting speaker Zweli Khumalo is expected to convene a special sitting of council tomorrow for the purpose of electing a new executive mayor and extend the contract of Makgorometje Makgata as acting city manager.
The metro has been without a mayor after the resignation of Stevens Mokgalapa, while Makgata’s contract could not be renewed after the collapse of council last month. However, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Lebogang Maile said the meeting would be a chance for DA councillors to bid farewell to each other.
“It is not an act of defiance because they still have a 14-day breather and if they want to use it effectively then there is no problem,” he said. He was speaking to journalists on Saturday at Tshwane House, where he engaged with senior municipal managers about the decision to put the City under administration.
Premier David Makhura, accompanied by Maile, last week announced a decision to dissolve council and place the municipality under administration. He said the decision was made in line with Section 139 of the Constitution. A team of administrators will take charge of the municipality for 90 days, after which by-elections will be held in all the 105 wards. The dissolution can only take effect 14 days after the most recent council meeting – in this case February 27.
As part of the procedure to disband council, Maile wrote letters to Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the National Council of Provinces to inform them about his decision. He said that in 14 days’ time his department would have received responses from Dlamini Zuma and the National Council of Provinces before the dissolution could take effect.
Maile said: “Council can elect the mayor, but it means that mayor will be left with few days in office. Once the decision (to dissolve council) is effective that mayor can only have it on his CV that he was the mayor for a few days. It doesn’t matter really for us. Maybe it is a way of dealing with pain. We deal with pain differently.
He didn’t want to comment on whether the sitting had received the ANC’s blessings. “Well, I am not speaking on behalf of the ANC. I am sure they will answer for themselves. I am speaking on behalf of the government,” he said. ANC regional chairperson Dr Kgosi Maepa said his party would not be honouring the meeting. He said: “Council has been dissolved. In which capacity will we be attending? The premier made an announcement and so we respected and accepted it. We can’t accept an announcement and then we go to council. Which council?
Maepa said the ANC was preparing for the elections in 90 days. We saw other parties are also preparing for elections. It is only the DA that is unprepared. We are on the ground fighting for power like everybody else,” he said.
EFF Tshwane leader Moafrika Mabogwana also distanced himself from a council sitting, saying his caucus would not be part of it. We were part of the programming meeting. We said to them that if they call a council meeting it must not be called by the speaker (Katlego Mathebe); it must be called by somebody else. They said to us they are going to go and consult and we are still waiting for them to make a consultation,” he said.
Regarding the number of administrators to be deployed to the City, Maile said: “The number of administrators will be determined by the types of skills that we need.”
He said the meeting with senior managers was meant to analyse some of the weaknesses that required attention in the City. The administrators, according to Maile, would be headed by a convener. “What we want to make sure is that it is a multi-skilled team that is versatile and experienced and is going to help us because we don’t have much time,” he said.
The administrators will be charged with the running of the City in collaboration with all the senior managers and all employees. Maile said: “The city is big and it can’t be run by a few people only. They will be coming here to do some of the duties that are delegated to the accounting officer. The administrators would be responsible for co-ordination of service delivery activities and demonstration of leadership in financial management and procurement services, he said.
“What we are doing now is to prepare so that after 14 days we are ready to introduce the administrator and take over the running of council. The DA has threatened to go to court to challenge the decision to put the metro under administration.
Maile said: “They must go to court and we are going to meet them in court. We are confident that we will win. We want to advise them to save those resources because there are elections coming. A Pretoria News street poster on Saturday reading “DA Accepts Ruling on City” was incorrect. The poster was removed. We apologise for any confusion.
In other news – Happy Birthday Moshe Ndiki
Youtube sensation-turned-media personality, Moshe Ndiki, is celebrating his birthday today. We were first introduced to Moshe, in 2015 when he rose to fame with his Youtube vlogs, and he has gone to become a bonafide star.
The TV star is celebrating 33 years today, and he has been receiving some heartwarming birthday messages from his friends, legions of fans and family. On weekend, the star was at Uteinhage, in the Eastern Cape, at his in-laws. He was meeting his in-laws for the first time from his bae’s family, Phelo Bala. Read more
Source: eNCA
