Johannesburg- Trouble is brewing in Ditsobotla local municipality, which is the council that covers Lichtenburg, Coligny and Biesiesvlei in the North West with axed Municipal manager Jonas Letlhaku and the mayor Mercy Mokgothu in a bitter turf war.
Drama started when Mokgothu allegedly suspended Letlhaku unilaterally – without the council resolution
The MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the province Lenah Miga has now entered the fray, and on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Speaker of the council Mpho Lekaba to give a directive to the council to redress the challenges faced by the municipality.
The letter from Miga reads, “Following a series of engagements, the MEC received a report from the mayor and made a determination that the Mayor took a unilateral decision in terminating the appointment of an Acting Municipal Manager and appointing another Acting Municipal Manager without Council’s resolution. This conduct resulted in contravention of Section 54A of the Municipal Systems Act 32 OF 2000.”
Miga said that the council is directed to initiate the processes of investigations on the matter of the code of conduct of Mokgothu based on her actions to suspend Letlhaku.
The ANC in the Ngaka Modiri Molema region also issued a scathing report directed to Mokgothu, where it had raised issues about the conduct of Mokgothu, as she is accused by the ruling party that she had circulated a suspension letter of Letlhaku on 18 January.
“It must be noted upfront that there has been many complaints about the conduct of Cllr Mercy Mokgothu on how she does not cooperate with the mayoral committee, Chief Whip, Speaker and the ANC Caucus in the Ditsobotla Council. The report herein seeks to give an account on the action taken by the Mayor of Ditsobotla and the overall challenges that are faced by the local municipality since the deployments to local government,” said the office of the ANC coordinator in Ngaka Modiri Molema.
“On 18 January, the mayor circulated letter of suspension against the Acting municipal manager indicating that she had taken a decision to suspend him when the council had not even adopted the decision which is in contravention of section 54 of the Municipal Structures Act.”
When called for comment, Mokgothu asked to be called later.
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