Picture: The ANC flag  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The embattled Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) will today hold a special municipal council meeting at Seoding Community Hall at 10am to discuss various issues pertaining municipal manager position, progress report on the Director of Social Services, Director of Infrastructure and Technical Services, vacancy for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Human Settlement and Spatial Planning.

However, some councillors alleged that this kind of meeting is just a smokescreen and nothing positive will come out of it. One of the ANC councillors who refused to be known for fear of reprisal said, the municipality failed for almost a year to appoint the new municipal manager, despite numerous interviews and short-listing being conducted.

“The position became vacant on 9 November 2022 and the first advert to fill the post was closed on 23 September 2022. However, for reasons known by the mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe, nothing was done until the expiry of the advert in terms of the due dates for the process as captured in the regulations of the Municipal Systems Act (MSA).

“When asked the reasons for contravention, the mayor said, he had made a mistake by wrongfully counting the days since the advert closed. So, he was pardoned by the council and given a second chance to advertise, which cost the municipality thousands of rand and is equivalent to fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” he said.

Our source further said, the second advert went out and was closed on 27 January 2023. He added that the same thing happened, where the due dates for the process expired due to yet another delay by Gaoraelwe.

“This time around, the mayor even tried to hold a failed shortlisting of candidates in Klerksdorp, using Director of Cooperate Services, Dikagiso Mokoma, whom the council had clearly resolved that she should not be part of the process because of her pending investigation on issues of danger allowance. 

“Again, the council lost thousands of rands for advertising and the mayor was never held accountable, but given a third chance to advertise yet again. On 14 June 2023 at a council meeting held at Depot Hall, the mayor was reprimanded by the council, especially the opposition parties and some of ANC councillors for failing to fill the post,” said a source.

He said in that meeting, Gaoraelwe was once again and for the third time granted to advertise the position with the conditions resolved that, he must report to the council on a monthly basis on the progress. He said Gaoraelwe was also instructed to use the Human Resource Manager as the scriber of the panel, which was to include a municipal manager from another municipality, a SALGA official, a COGTA Official, an MMC for HR and the mayor as chairperson.

“The advert was made to newspapers and closed on 11 July 2023. It is shocking to find out that, the mayor will only be presenting his first progress report to the council on 3 November 2023 at a council meeting. This makes it almost four months since the resolution was made on 14 June 2023 and the mayor has never reported to the council.

“This also makes it three months and three weeks since the advert closed and no progress report tabled to the council. This is in contravention of a council resolution by the mayor. The other contravention of the council resolution is that, at a council meeting on 4 September 2023, the former CFO who acted as municipal manager at that council meeting, was asked where Mokoma was, and confirmed that she was taking part in the interviews of the municipal manager position at the library,” he said.

He alleged that, the council made it clear that Mokoma was not supposed to form part, but she vehemently refused to excuse herself from those interviews, saying that the mayor had instructed her to be part.

“It is still questionable as to why the mayor replaced the HR Manager with Mokoma against the council resolution, and also what was her role in the process.

“This was not the only time the mayor contravened the law. On another turn of events, the three months of acting of Andrew Makuapane as municipal manager had expired by the time he chaired the interviews for filling posts of Director of Technical Services and Director of Community Services. The mayor illegally extended the acting of Makuapane without council resolution and allowed him to sign off payments and make appointments from 18 September 2023 to 5 October 2023, which is the date that council,” he said.

He alleged that, surprisingly, instead of holding the mayor accountable, the ANC caucus was instructed that, their mandate is to condone all irregular actions by the mayor, and that the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, Nono Maloyi will be approached to give concurrence on the matter.

“To this date, no concurrence has been tabled to the council and the resolution to condone irregularities remains illegal. As we speak, we are being threatened by the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) to write apology letters because we tried to oust the mayor or we will be reprimanded.  

“The Code of Conduct for councillors and the MFMA clearly prevent councillors from making wrong decisions as taken above by the GTLM council. Clearly, the process of filling posts of municipal manager and Directors are irregular and in contravention of the regulations and council resolutions, but the determination to disrespect that by some influential ANC office bearers is strong and will happen on 3 November 2023,” he said.

Meanwhile, ANC provincial spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping did not respond to our questions sent to him before publishing this article. However, the response will be incorporated when received.

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Picture: The D201 road construction project/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Taung said the sluggishness of the D201 road construction project is disconcerting. This comes after the North West Department of Public Works and Roads announced that, the road construction project that was slated to be completed in November 2023, will be re-scheduled to February 2024.

The North West Department of Public Works and Roads spokesperson, Lerato Gambu said, indeed the project will not be completed on the scheduled time due to the delayed access to the borrow pit.

“Other reasons are disruptions during the selection and appointment of local SMMEs, in climate weather conditions, which lead to delays in construction works and delays in seal construction due to winter embargo,” he said.

However, DA’s Member of Parliament (MP) and Shadow Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sello Seitlholo said: “As the DA in Greater Taung, we have once again undertaken oversight at the D201 road construction project, which is 60km road running from Pampierstad to Matlapaneng village.

“It is absolutely shocking that the department will now miss its November 2023 deadline to complete the 24km road, which is phase 1 from Pampierstad to Mokassa. We have warned the department on a number of oversights that, it will fail to deliver on its mandate to build the sustainable road infrastructure.”

Seitlholo further said, now the residents from various villages have been affected negatively. He added the DA has no doubt that this deadline will also be missed, judging by the current state of affairs the project finds itself in.

“It seems there is no progress that was made from the previous oversight that we overtook last year,” said Seitlholo.

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Setshwantsho: Dipudi tse go belaelwang ele tsa bogodu

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Banna ba le bararo ba go belaelwang ele ba kwa motseng wa Dikhuting, gaufi le Taung, ba leletswe ke ditshipi kwa tsela-kgolong ya N12 kwa motse-setoropong wa  Jouberton, gaufi le Klerksdorp mo letsatsi la gompieno. Go begwa fa banna ba, ba ne ba tshwarwa morago ga go fitlhelwa ka dipudi dile 29 tse go belaelwang fa ele tsa bogodu.

Go begwa fa banna ba, ba ile ba utswa dipudi tseo kwa motseng wa Manthe, mme ga fitlhelwa fa ele tsa monna mongwe wa morui, Thapelo “Raider” Katong. Go ya ka sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani, batlhankela ba sepodisi ba ba ne ba le mo tirong, ba ne ba bona sejanaga se se belaetsang, mme ba se sala morago.

“Bane ba se emisa, mme a kopa mokgweetsi go ka lekola sejanaga seo. Batlhankela ba sepodisi, ba kaile fa ba ne ba fitlhela dipudi dile 29 kwa morago ga sejanaga seo (van). Banna ba le bararo ba ne ba tshwarwa, mme ba tla tlhagelela kwa Kgotlha-Tshekelo ya Klerksdorp fa Ngwanatsele a tlhola matsatsi ale 6.

“Banna ba, ba lebagane le kgetsi ya go tshwara ka dipudi tse go belaelwang ele tsa bogodu,” Funani wa tlhalosa.

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Picture: The embattled Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi to intervene at Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM). This comes after the embattled municipality continues to be marred with widespread corruption and maladministration allegations.

The DA councillor in Greater Taung Local Municipality, Sam Nape said, they have written a letter to Maloyi, requesting his immediate intervention.

“The Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe in defiance of a council resolution, refuses to sign the monthly contract extension for acting Municipal Manager, Motlhaletsimang Andrew Makuapane. The municipality has not had an accounting officer since 21 October 2023.

“We engaged Gaoraelwe on the appointment of the acting Municipal Manager, but our engagements have been ignored. We then approached the Greater Taung Speaker, Grace Moipolai to call a special council meeting to resolve the issue of the temporary appointment of the acting Municipal Manager, but she has blatantly refused to consider our request,” he said.

Nape further said, it appears that both Gaoraelwe and Moipolai are deliberately obstructing the legal requirements of the council to ensure that an acting Municipal Manager is appointed until a permanent appointment is finalised.

He added that the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) also remains vacant.

“Not only do we have a political leadership vacuum, but also an administrative one in the municipality. There is no political or administrative leadership and as a result, the little bit of service delivery has come to a complete halt because of this impasse.

“Gaoraelwe is in breach of a council resolution and under normal circumstances, a complaint for disciplinary investigation would have been sent to Moipolai to refer it for investigation. However, Moipolai herself, is guilty of dereliction of duty and in breach of the Code of Conduct for councillors,” said Nape.

He said the DA therefore calls on Maloyi to intervene to resolve this dispute in the interests of THE Greater Taung residents and to initiate the required disciplinary processes against both the Mayor and the Speaker.

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Whip at the municipality, Amogelang Matuane said: “They condemn the wrong approach used to appoint the Municipal Manager. The council took a resolution on 5 January 2023, on which procedure should be followed in appointing the Municipal Manager.

“The council took a resolution that a panel consisting of five individuals should be assembled according to MFMA Schedule 12 of Appointment of the Section Panel for the Appointment of the Municipal Manager and that is Resolution 175/2022-2023.”

Matuane said the council also took a resolution on the advertisement of the Municipal Manager position and the members of the panel. She said those who were appointed, were the mayor as the Chairperson, Member of the Executive Council responsible for Recruitment as designated by the council.

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Picture: CPF members receive reflector jackets from Vodacom/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said they welcome the donation of reflector jackets donated by Vodacom to the Community Policing Forum in Kimberly. Sam said Vodacom s one of the integral role players in the Provincial Non-Ferrous Metals Crime Combatting Forum.

“These jackets will be utilised by the provincial CPF Board for easy identification by the public when executing their functions. The jackets were well received by the Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Koliswa Otola who was joined by the executive mayor of Sol Plaatje Local Municipality, Kagisho Sonyoni, the CPF Board Chairperson, Tebogo Molapo and the Provincial Head for Proactive Policing, Brigadier Irene Kopeledi.

“Vodacom representative, Hadley Goliath handed over the jackets and wide brim sun hats. Goliath said that, Vodacom supports the efforts by SAPS and community structures in their fight against crime,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Koliswa Otola, thanked Vodacom for the gesture. Otola said this collaborative gesture maintains public safety and fosters trust, communication and shared responsibility among all partners in the fight against crime.

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By OBAKENG MAJE  

The Galeshewe police are appealing to the public to assist them to locate Kedibone Schalk Wyk (7), who resides at 13148 Moledi Street, Bloemanda in Galeshewe, Kimberley.

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said, it is reported that Schalk Wyk left in the morning of Tuesday, 31 October 2023 to school at Venus Primary School in Roodepan, but never returned home where she was placed in foster care.

Sam said the social worker visited her biological mother, aunt and neighbours, but could not trace her. He further said Schalk Wyk was dressed in grey trousers, white shirt and a black jacket with pink flowers.

“The police are requesting anyone who might have information about the whereabouts of little Kedibone to contact FCS Galeshewe, Detective Lt Colonel Marli Strydom at 082 495 0618 or 08600 10111 or either SMS anonymously to 32211 or use the MySAPS app.

“The public is once again reminded that there is no waiting period to report a child missing. All information received will be treated confidentially,” he said.

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