A ruling by the North West High Court last week finally broke the impasse over the contested mayorship of Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality.

The court dismissed an urgent application by Phaladi Saku, who had taken the council to court to challenge her removal from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) councillors’ list.

Saku had put up a spirited fight to retain her mayoral position after she was suspended from the ANC for three years about two months ago.

She had held on to her councillors position but the ANC replaced her on its list of councillors, effectively throwing her into the political wilderness.

Two weeks ago Saku had sat on the side of a council that successfully opposed an urgent application by one of the speakers, Tebogo Ramashilabele, who wanted to be reinstated as the only legitimate council speaker.

Last week’s ruling left those who had sought Saku’s ouster writing her political obituary.

One of the ANC members who did not want to be named said: “This is the end of Saku’s political career in the ANC, at least for the next three years. She is no longer employed, the ANC is no longer her political home and surely, unless she joins another political party, this is her end.”

The ANC’s Ngaka Modiri Molema regional spokesperson, Daddy Sebolecwe, said the ruling should be a warning to other party functionaries who had defied ANC directives.

“The issue of Saku is now behind usand it should serve as a reminder to those operating as if they are not ANC members that they would face the same fate. We now expect the acting mayor, Priscilla Kwenaite, to take over her mayoral function, possibly this week. All that is left is for her to get blessings from the ANC,” he said.

Kwenaite was elected acting mayor on July 16 but had not been to the office because Saku refused to yield.

Tebogo Motlhamme, a researcher at the municipality who also represented Saku in her appeal against her three- year suspension, said Saku had now left the municipality.

“Saku is now out of the municipality pending the outcome of her case against the council set for some time in September. She is contesting her erroneous removal from the IEC list so that she can get back her councillor status,” Motlhamme said.
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