By OBAKENG MAJE and REGINALD KANYANE
The newly-elected mayor of the Greater Taung Local Municipality, Oageng Seleke said he is adamant that he will not recuse himself from the mayoral position as the ANC caucus at the municipality continues to be marred with internal factional battles and infighting.
This comes after ANC Interim Regional Working Committee (IRWC) sent a letter to Seleke requesting him to recuse himself. Seleke was elected unopposed as the new mayor of the municipality following the removal of Kgosi Nnyoko Charles Motlhabane as a mayor.
Motlhabane was ousted through a motion of no confidence sponsored by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) last week.
“No my chief, a true leader cannot just instruct you. A selfless leader will listen to the cause then addresses the matter. So, it means the IRWC is not interested in addressing the cause, but they are interested in pleasing some bitter comrades.
“We need to shelve the spirit of arrogance first. To them, they are not interested in solving municipal issues but in pleasing their own interest. This is a revolution, so let them decide but the revolution continues. One day people will be reminded of their deeds,” Seleke said.
However, the ANC IRWC coordinator in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region, Walter Mabogola said in a letter: “The IRWC has noted with great concern that Nnyoko Motlhabane who is the ANC mayor of Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) was removed without proper consultation with the party that deployed your good self.
“It was further noted that the council meeting, which was held in GTLM on 13 April 2021, has elected you as the new municipal mayor after you have accepted the nomination.”
Mabogola further said in their view, Seleke’s election was done without proper consultation with the ANC. So, he said they have instructed Seleke to tender his resignation as a mayor of the GTLM in writing within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, the ANC IPC coordinator, Kenny Morolong said they have noted with concern the decisions of both Madibeng and Taung Local Municipal Councils to remove both their mayors through motions of no confidence.
“We have also learned with utter shock that ANC deployees collaborated with the oppositions to remove both mayors of the ANC and did so without the organisation’s directive. These developments represent a continuation of a new and worrying tendency in our caucuses across the province.”
“This tendency seeks to erode the centrality of the ANC as the only centre of power. He said they would like to remind their deployees that the deployment and re-deployment of the mayors remain the exclusive domain of the IPC,” he said.
Morolong further said the IPC in due course will reflect in these developments. Following which it will explicitly expresses itself with respect to its decisions and the next course of action.
The Guardian 