The ANC in Sedibeng municipality is fighting to restore its power after mayor Lerato Maloka was removed through a motion of no confidence on Wednesday.
The motion was tabled by the DA and passed with 26 votes in favour of the no confidence motion and 21 votes against.
Following her election, Maloka took over as mayor for almost four years, succeeding Busisiwe Modisakeng, who died in 2021.
On Thursday, ANC Sedibeng regional secretary Jason Mkhwane told Sunday World that they are looking for a solution to bring the ANC back to power.
According to Mkhwane, they were negotiating a coalition with other parties in connection with the election of the new mayor.
Motion filed in 2024
The DA Sedibeng caucus leader, Sibusiso Dyonase, clarified that the motion was filed in 2024 because of a purported inability to implement the financial recovery plan that the MEC of cooperative governance and traditional affairs had mandated.
The municipality also suffered wasted and irregular spending, budgets without funding, and a situation where 75% of the money was used for salaries.
In addition to stating that the DA will consider all of its options while making decisions that benefit the people of Sedibeng, he stated that a council meeting to select a new mayor will take place in 14 days.
“Mayor Maloka failed in her statutory obligations, as well as her moral obligations to the municipality, its employees, and its people,” said Dyonase.
“While the municipality was struggling to pay salaries, the mayor felt it prudent to spend more than R550 000 on a trip to Germany.
“But most shockingly, she refused to use a Mercedes-Benz GLB provided to her for an entire year.
“When she was finally forced to use it by council, the car developed mechanical problems. The technicians found that brown sugar had been poured into the engine.”
Improper use of municipal resources
Nkululeko Dunga, the EFF Gauteng spokesperson, also supported the motion of no confidence, noting that the municipality has been in a state of decay and clouded by corruption, incompetence, mismanagement, and poor service delivery.
“The now-removed mayor, Lerato Maloka, epitomised this failure with her arrogance and disregard for due process,” said Dunga.
“Among her many transgressions, she is accused of missing about R500 000 during a questionable trip to Germany while communities suffered.
“Additionally, the mayoral chain worth over a million rands mysteriously disappeared under her watch, and there were allegations of improper use of municipal resources.”
The community of Heidelberg in the Lesedi local municipality, which also falls under Sedibeng, is also complaining of dry taps.
