• 

By OBAKENG MAJE

Beleaguered executive mayor of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, Boitumelo Mahlangu was ousted through a motion of no confidence on Thursday. According to our sources, one of the ANC councillors tabled a motion during a virtual meeting.

However, one of the councillors who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal alleged that the meeting did not form a quorum.

“The virtual meeting did not form a quorum because we have 32 councillors. However, most of us did not receive the proper link and we were not part of the proceeding. We waited for over 45 minutes for the Speaker to conduct the meeting.

“According to the rules of the house, there must be a minimum of members a deliberative assembly to continue with the meeting. However, to our surprises, we heard that the Speaker convened another virtual meeting with some of councillors excluded.

Now, he said they will not recognize that meeting as it was ‘illegal’.  

However, the Municipal Speaker Lorato Moagwe refuted these allegations and rendered them absurd. Moagwe alleged that she sent out the proper links to all councillors.

“It is true that the mayor was removed through a motion of no confidence by the council. The motion of no confidence was tabled by the ANC councillor and seconded by the EFF.

“Actually, there were two motions against the mayor and the speaker, but the councillor who initially tabled the motion against the Speaker withdrew it. It is not true that some councillors did not receive the link because we have sent out the link of the virtual meeting to them yesterday and also sent another one today,” she said.

She further said 18 out of 32 councillors were part of the meeting and therefore, the meeting formed a quorum. Kgalalelo Sereko was elected as the new mayor.

Meanwhile, the municipality continued to be marred with fraud, corruption and maladministration allegations under Mahlangu’ stewardship. The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality was one of four municipalities in the province implicated in the forensic investigation findings by the North West Provincial Government following the investment of a combined R314 million of taxpayers’ money into the VBS Mutual Bank.

The municipality invested R150 million of which R100 million was from the Regional Infrastructure Grant (RIG), R25 million from the Equitable Share-Free Basic Services and R25 million were from the Building Fund.

Recently, the EFF called for investigations after it was alleged that the municipality made an R16million ‘advanced payment’ to HT Pelatona Projects (PTY) LTD for a water project in Bloemhof.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

 

• 

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI  

A man who is living with disability in Huhudi Location, near Vryburg, said his health continues to deteriorate because of the ‘illegal’ dumping site next to his yard. Lungile Nonkonkonya (34) stays in a house along with his other six siblings.

Lungile’s younger sister, Nomakhosazana said: “My brother has been in and out of hospital because of awful smell that we are subjected to next to our yard. We have reported this matter to the municipality, but we do not get any assistance.

“The municipality has since unsoiled the area in 2013. My brother is living with disability and suffering from muscular dystrophy. The municipality always gives us empty promises and we are sick and tired of that.”

Nomakhosazana further said her brother was once diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) and suffered from a short breath because of the dumping site. She said they urge the municipality to clamp down on the ‘illegal’ dumping site next to their yard.

“It is heartbreaking to see our government ignoring our call while we living with a disabled person. Disabled people are large minority groups, starved of services and mostly ignored by society hence they live in isolation and subjected to poverty,” she said.

The Naledi Local Municipality acting spokesperson, Atwell Setlhapeloa said: “We’ve had a change in management. We have a new acting Municipal Manager and he would like to check (twick) few things first before we could respond.”

Meanwhile, the risenshine.org.za website said due to discrimination, disabled persons are not free to get those rights that a non-disabled person gets. The website said disabled persons are also deprived of education and employment.

“Persons with disabilities in South Africa continue to face barriers that prevent them from enjoying their full civil, political, economic, social, cultural and developmental rights. 

“This is largely due to a lack of awareness, ignorance, and prejudice in our society. It is also because some legislation fails to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. Mainstreaming and universal access for persons with disabilities are the ultimate goals of the disability movement.”

In 2009, the North West Social Development held a media briefing on the launch of the policy on disability at Mmabatho Convention Centre. According to a statement, the department launched a policy on disability, developed for the social development sector.

“It is aimed at providing strategic guidelines in the delivery of social services that are compliant with departmental mandates and legislation within the social development context.

“It is intended to guide and inform the department on the mainstreaming and integration of disability within social development practices and to facilitate the transformation shifts in line with the current policy framework to promote inclusion for people with disabilities,” said the statement.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

  

• 

By OBAKENG MAJE

A 21-YEAR-OLD woman from Diretsang village near Taung said she is grateful that both her and the child are still alive. This comes after Kegomoditswe Tankie was seen on a video in Taung DailyNews’s position allegedly giving birth on the floor at the ‘disgraced’ Taung District Hospital without any assistance from nurses.

She said she always heard many people complaining about the abuse of patients by healthcare staff in maternity settings in the hospital but never thought one day she will be the victim herself.

“I went to the hospital for labour and I was put in the maternity ward with other pregnant women. The nurses who were on duty were in the other room and informed us to go to them if we experience any labour pains.

“Indeed, I experienced some pains and I went to seek help from them. They assessed and monitored the baby’s condition and ordered me to go back to where I was. They said I must come back at around 11:30,” she said.

However, Tankie further said, she experienced some labour contractions after reaching the room. She added that when she arrived at the ward, she put a towel on the floor next to her bed to rest on it as she was unable to climb the bed.

“I was also thirsty and I requested water from one of the women in the ward. I then went to the nurses after feeling some excruciating pains, but one of the officials in the corridors ordered me to go back saying nurses are still busy.

“I was in severe pains, but I managed to go back to the room again. I stand next to my bed and my legs cramped. I was feeling nauseated and my water breaks. The doctor was called and said I will be ready for labour at 00:20,” said Tankie.

However, she said she gave birth on the floor without any healthcare staff assistance. Now, Tankie mulls to take legal actions for medical negligence.

Belinda Lungile who was also in the maternity ward at the time of the incident alleged that nurses were rude and have arbitrary acts of unkindness toward pregnant patients.

“The abuse towards patients in that ward is well-documented. Since I was at the hospital, I saw the verbal abuse and psychological abuse many patients were subjected to. On 16 February 2021 before this initial incident, I saw nurses abusing some helpless patients and I confronted them.

“However, they also tried to bully me but I stand my ground. They even said I think I am somebody of importance and advocating for those patients will not take me anywhere. It is so ridiculous to find many women shouted at, sometimes beaten and neglected in that maternity care facility,” she said.

Meanwhile, the North West Health Department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “The hospital has reported the incident to the Adverse Events Committee. The department is disturbed by the incident and we have established that even the Nursing Services Manager was not made aware of the incident.

“The department will ensure that justice is done to that patient. We have made arrangements to get incident reports from the affected shift of nurses and the Adverse Events Committee will take the process forward and make recommendations to the MEC.”

The hospital Board of Directors chairperson, James Gadinabokao who shared the same sentiments came out gun blazing. Gadinabokao said the disciplinary process is going to be instituted.

“Nurses who were on duty that day must be suspended pending the outcome of disciplinary hearings. MEC of Health will be notified about this incident and others that were not reported.

“As the chairperson of the board, I would like to apologise to the family of Ms Kegomoditswe Tankie, her good self and the entire community of Taung. It is not the first time this negligence happened under our watch. Unfortunately, perpetrators of such always hide behind their union trying to play victim knowingly that they have transgressed their contractual obligations as public servants,” he said.

taungdailynews@gmail.com