Picture: The disgraced mayor of Greater Taung Local Municipality, Tumisang Gaoralewe/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

Dear Tumisang Gaoraelwe

I hope this letter finds you not drunk or high. Let me take this opportunity to re-introduce myself. My name is Obakeng Maje (editor) of Taung DailyNews, which is a community newspaper.

I received a call on 25 October 2023 at around 7:40pm from one of your close associates, who requested me to check my WhatsApp and see what a scumbag has written about Taung DailyNews and I on Facebook. Indeed, I checked my WhatsApp even though I was reluctant. I was disappointed to see what you have written about Taung DailyNews and I.

You wrote this on your Facebook page: “The news that you will never find in Taung DailyNews. If you want to know that you have credibility, it is when someone uses your profile to project themselves. We have worked hard to be where we are at the pick (peak) of the mount (mountain), that is why when Taung DailyNews or Ice-T Maje writes about me, I do not respond.

“I will never dignify that hogwash with a response. I have worked for more than a decade to be where I am. I am at the pick (peak) of the mountain, academically, personally, socially and otherwise.

“I do not come down, climb the f**k up.”

However, let me correct you. We have already written about that cancelled petition under this headline way before you could even post about it. Here is the link to full article: https://twitter.com/IceT_/status/1717173403008786576?s=19

As Taung DailyNews, we strive on factual reporting. Again, we do not target any individuals, but we follow the story. So, if the story takes us to you, then hard luck.

We also do not get any personal in our reporting, but as the watchdog, we have the responsibility to ensure that there is accountability and consequence management. 

If we have a personal vendetta against you, we could have reported about the allegations that you are on drugs. We could have reported allegations that, there is a video of you engaged in a sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl, who is now allegedly blackmailing you. If we were personal, we could have reported about allegations that you do not take care of your children from your failed marriage.

How true are allegations that, a few months ago, you went to Klerksdorp and collected a whopping R1 million from a security company awarded a multi-million rands tender at the Greater Taung Local Municipality as bribery?

Now, let’s get down to business and deal with real issues. If you say you are credible and some people will use your profile to project themselves, kindly give us one thing that is credible about you. I would imagine us (media) reporting about a corrupt individual like your fellow ANC cadre, John Block and he says journalists use his profile to project themselves.  

You say you are at the peak of the mountain academically, but indeed, your qualifications are like a golden ring on the snout of a pig, they mean nothing. Rather say you are certificated because you do not qualify to run the municipality as a political head.

While we are still there:

·        Kindly take the people of Taung into confidence and tell them what happened to the R101 million equitable share that was allegedly depleted in weeks.

·        Kindly tell the people of Taung, what happened to the R3 million budgeted for disaster? Why does the municipality continue to use consultants even though they are too expensive.

·        Mayor, please enlighten us on what happened to the luxury BMW X3 that is now being fixed with taxpayers’ money. Last year, you crashed the same BMW X3, while you were drunk and you confessed in an audio that the police officers who attended the scene assisted you to clean it. This alone shows that you are a corrupt individual who disregards the law. It cost the taxpayers over R250 000 to fix the damaged BMW X3 without accountability on your side.

·        Again, tell the community of Taung why the tracking report of the same BMW X3 shows that it was constantly driving between Kuruman, Kimberley and Carletonville. It eventually stuck in Kimberly, where it was towed to Potchefstroom to be fixed and cost the taxpayers around R230 000. Kindly tell the people of Taung why your precious wife allegedly drives the mayoral vehicle?

·        Mayor, please tell the people of Taung how much is left in the Investment Accounts of the municipality.

·        Tell the people of Itireleng village what happened to the R10 million budgeted for their internal road?

·        Tell the people of Taung why those learners who were awarded by the municipality for being top achievers have not received their R10 000 each and laptops you promised them?

·        This year, you organised a mayoral cup, where the winning teams were awarded accordingly, however, they are still waiting for their incentives.  

Mayor, you say you are at the peak of the mountain and we must climb the f***k up because you are not coming down. Let me tell you this, you are actually sitting at the top of the mountain of fools. So, we are not climbing the f***k up.

You better come down and listen to the plea of ordinary people on the ground. Let your qualifications do the talking and stop being unscrupulous.

I told you that I have nothing personal against you and I will continue to report about what is happening around Taung with no contraction of fear or favour. You do good, we report and you do bad, we will also report.

So, mayor you are given responsibility to run the municipality, but it seems everything is crumbling under your watch. Now, your own cadres have turned their backs against you because they are sick and tired of your shenanigans. They say they want you gone because they cannot be associated with a person of your calibre. So, you still maintain that you are credible?

When the ANC introduced you as the mayor, the people of Taung had high hopes and said finally, a young person will be at the helm and steer this ship to the right direction. However, you disappointed them because of greed.

Enjoy your day mayor and just know that there is nothing honourable about you.

(Note: Mr Obakeng Maje is an award-winning journalist and holds a three-year Diploma in Media Studies and Journalism. In   his blossomed career, he worked for various media houses such as Daily Sun, The New Age and Sunday World, including You FM (formerly known as North West FM). Some of Mr Obakeng Maje’s articles were incorporated in a book called Civil Strife against Local Governance, written by political analyst at the University of Free State, Professor Sethulego Matebesi.)  

taungdailynews@gmail.com