By OBAKENG MAJE
20 October 2025- The ANC in North West said it will implement the ANC National Executive Committee’s decision to remove the embattled Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe from his mayoralship position. On Friday, the ANC Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula said, together with ANC NEC members deployed to the North West, met with the ANC North West Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) to receive a report on the state of Local Government and the current developments on the intervention the PEC is implementing to reinforce Political Management and Governance of Municipalities.
“This is in line with the ANC NEC turnaround strategy on Local Government intervention,” he said.
ANC provincial spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping said the ANC NEC has instructed the ANC in North West to remove Gaoraelwe as mayor of the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM). Maruping said they are now engaged in a meeting with the ANC Provincial Working Committee (PWC) to ventilate the matter.
“This is what is going to happen. We are having a ANC Provincial Working Committee (PWC) meeting now at 10am and the point now is to implement the decision of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC), which is to remove Gaoraelwe as the mayor.
“The how part of redeployment of Gaoraelwe, will be discussed now during the meeting. Immediately after the meeting, I will call you and give you the exact answer regarding the PWC decision on the matter,” he said.
Maruping further said the decision on redeployment of Gaoraelwe will be done not later than this week. He added that it is true that the ANC NEC instructed them to remove him as a mayor, but keep him as an ordinary ward councillor.
“We will now discuss who will be deployed as the mayor of the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) during the meeting today,” said Maruping.
However, Gaoraelwe said the ANC in the province has not communicated its decision to remove him yet. He said even the municipal Chief Whip has not said anything, so it will be very difficult for him to comment.
“So, I do not know anything about that, but I will wait for the report. Remember, there have to be reasons for the removal. Up until they furnish me with that information, I will know how to respond,” said Gaoraelwe.
Meanwhile, a call to remove Gaoraelwe as Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor gained momentum a few weeks ago after he crashed another municipal vehicle worth R560 000 in an accident. The ‘disgraced’ Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, crashed a luxury municipal vehicle, Nissan Navara 2025 worth R560 000 during an accident in the early hours of Thursday, 25 September 2025.
This caused uproar amongst the public as this is the third municipal vehicle Gaoraelwe crashed.
In 2022, Gaoraelwe crashed municipality’s luxury BMW X3 worth R700 000 in an accident on N12 road between Schweizer Reneke and Wolmaranstad. He was also allegedly involved in an accident again on 30 June 2024.
Gaoraelwe crashed the municipal vehicle after allegedly being followed and shot at by unknown assailants. However, there are allegations that Gaoraelwe crashed the municipal vehicle during the day while drunk and later on, staged the attempted hijacking as a cover-up.
On 17 August 2025, Gaoraelwe damaged a newly-bought municipal bakkie in an accident. It is alleged that Gaoraelwe crashed the municipal vehicle after he hit a tree at his residential area.
At the time, the Greater Taung Local Municipality spokesperson, Ricky Oliphant said the equipment damage report indicated that the vehicle was driven into a tree. Oliphant said the damages for this incident amounted to R120 000, which is going to be covered by the insurance.
Now, the Democratic Alliance councillor, Sam Nape said they are indeed thunderstruck by the situation the municipality found itself in under the stewardship of Gaoraelwe. Nape said this is a major setback and he is so disenchanted.
“I have lost count of how many accidents Gaoraelwe was involved in while driving municipal vehicles. This is a forlorn situation and I do not know how much embarrassment his political party, ANC, is willing to take before removing him from his position. Well, we call for his removal as always, however, if he continues to be protected by his party, then there is nothing that we can do.
“The challenge is that the ANC councillors are in majority at the municipal council and the opposition parties are outvoted even if they table a motion of no confidence against the mayor,” he said.
The ACDP councillor, Gaolatlhwe Tshipo shared the same sentiments.
Tshipo said: “We have seen a trend of negligence and misuse of the municipal properties by the mayor. Gaoraelwe was supposed to be the custodian, who leads by example and showing the public how municipal assets are protected.
“However, he is not protecting municipal assets, instead, he is misusing them. The BMW X3 worth over R700 000 was written off because of carelessness after he was involved in a car accident.”
Tshipo said they call on the ANC to act against Gaoraelwe as its deployee. He said that they are going to lobby other opposition parties and call for his removal.
“Gaoraelwe is a disgrace to the people of Taung. We are not going to allow this kind of lawlessness. Actually, this is a theft of taxpayers’ money. Gaoraelwe is not fit to be called the mayor of the Greater Taung Local Municipality,” he said.
The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) spokesperson, Ricky Oliphant said: “Yes, the municipality is aware of the recent accident. The mayor was driving to his house in the early morning of Thursday, 25 September 2025, when he lost control of a vehicle, while swerving to avoid a collision with a donkey.
“The mayor was alone in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The concern is not limited to the municipal assets, but also about the safety of the mayor, its councillors and employees,” he said.
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