By OBAKENG MAJE
The situation at the embattled Ditsobotla Local Municipality in Lichtenburg continues to be dysfunctional despite numerous attempts by the North West Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs to solicit the situation.
Currently, the municipality has two mayors, two speakers, and two acting municipal managers. This week, the municipal employees were prohibited by a newly appointed security company’s bouncers from entering the municipal buildings.
This irked some municipal employees, who clashed with the security guards, and gunshots were discharged in the process.
The North West MEC for COGHSTA, Lenah Miga said Ditsobotla forms part of five troubled municipalities in the province and they have applied section 154 in terms of support.
“We have seen videos on social media depicting that there is a double-parked leadership and administration in Ditsobotla, which suggests that, there are two acting municipal managers, two mayors, and two speakers.
“But what we can confirm is that there can only be one municipal manager, and that is the acting municipal manager, Josephine Ledwaba. We can also indicate that there is only one speaker, which is Mpho Lekaba,” Miga said.
She further said there has been a council resolution where the former mayor, Mercy Mokgothu was removed through a motion of no confidence.
She said they are still gathering facts on what had transpired at the municipality on Monday and they will make an informed decision accordingly.
“We will table the report to the exco that will be sitting sometime next week and the decision will emanate from there. Remember, the council there has just been inaugurated last year and it needed to be trained.
“Even though the Premier has appointed a troika to monitor the situation, it is worrisome because it seems, we having a collapsing municipality and unfortunately, communities continue to be at the receiving end,” she said.
Miga said they have also ignited their sister department of community safety and whoever is occupying any office illegally will be chucked out.
However, the former mayor, Mercy Mokgothu said she is still the mayor of the municipality because the motion of no confidence against her was withdrawn. Mokgothu alleged that she has been purged because she refused to recognise the appointment of Ledwaba as the acting municipal manager.
“There is an affidavit that shows that Ledwaba does not have relevant qualifications. So, I wrote a report to Miga requesting guidance and leadership, however, she was non-responsive.
“So, I was called and reprimanded by the ANC. They instructed me and said I must make sure that Ledwaba becomes the acting municipal manager. I told them that Ledwaba refuses to submit her qualifications and there is nothing I could do,” she said.
The ANC Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) spokesperson in North West, Kenny Morolong said: “As the ANC, during the local government elections (LGE) in 2021, we vowed that municipalities should appoint suitable individuals in the administration and this is the position the party intends to uphold.
“We are unaware of any such directive to appoint individuals who do not qualify for any position for that matter. The ANC will never venture into deploying incompetent and unqualified individuals.”
Morolong said, however, they will afford Mokgothu an opportunity to engage the ANC leadership with respect to these allegations so that the party can test their veracity and make an appropriate public pronouncement.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, and Traditional Affairs, Aaron Mocwana said political interference, maladministration, misappropriation of funds, and corruption has contributed to the demise of the municipality.
“The municipality is in distress and experiencing systemic dysfunctionality. There is also a resistance to intervention due to the hasty political interference in administrative issues. The instability in the municipality can be traced back to 2006.
“There is also lawlessness at the municipality, where Supply Chain Management (SCM) issues are openly being discussed by councillors. The municipal council is also sitting on top of the Public Protector and Forensic report findings that need to be implemented, but that is not happening.” Motswana said.
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