Pretoria – The notion of settling by “democratic means” the dispute over who the mayor of Tlokwe should be was raised by a judge in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Judge Neil Tuchten said since the ANC said it was the majority party in the Tlokwe municipality, the question was whether the effects of a council meeting unseating mayor Maphetle Maphetle could not be put right by “democratic means”.

“If this is possible wouldn’t it be right for me to decline my right to grant an interdict?” he asked.

He said the applicants had to consider whether public funds should be used to pay the lawyers in the matter.

“The long-suffering people of Tlokwe don’t have to pay for this matter.”

Tuchten said an application to have Maphetle’s unseating declared invalid would be heard later in the day.

The African National Congress wanted a council meeting that saw Democratic Alliance councillor Annette Combrink voted in as mayor nullified. The ANC did not recognise Combrink as mayor and said Maphetle still held the post.

On 2 July, Combrink was voted in as the new mayor for the second time since November, unseating Maphetle.

The next day, the ANC’s North West provincial disciplinary committee expelled 14 of its councillors who voted to unseat Maphetle. They were also removed as Tlokwe councillors.

On 10 July, the ANC served court papers on 48 Tlokwe municipal councillors – 26 of them ANC councillors, 19 DA, two Freedom Front Plus councillors, and one from the Congress of the People.

SAPA