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A council meeting degenerated into chaos on Thursday when the ANC protested procedures in tabling a motion of no confidence against mayor, Mhlonishwa Masilela.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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The ANC in the hung Steve Tshwete Local Municipality of Mpumalanga has accused the municipal manager of actively assisting the opposition oust its mayor.

A council meeting ended in chaos in Middelburg on Friday when ANC questioned the way the matter was being handled by the manager of the Middelburg-based council, Mandla Mnguni, and speaker, Thato Mathunyane.

The Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front (MHRF), which decreased the ANC’s dominance in Steve Tshwete to 36% after the 2021 local government elections, had passed a motion of no confidence against ANC mayor, Mhlonishwa Masilela, to Mnguni and Mathunyane on April 12 2024.

The ANC took the mayoral seat because the DA and the EFF could not work together to form a coalition government. 

MHRF cited Masilela’s poor leadership and many on-going corruption investigations against officials as the reason for submitting the motion.

An ANC insider said that Mnguni was working in cahoots with MHRF and had lately tried to divert an investigation of the abuse of the municipality’s bank card to a Mathunyane’s driver.

Mnguni did not respond to questions sent to him. Municipal spokesperson, Lerato Kgomo, promised to respond but had not done so before the publishing of the story.

He had allegedly been pushing hard for the motion of no confidence especially after acting Mpumalanga Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Speedy Mashilo informed him that allegations of maladministration, fraud and serious malpractice occurring within the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, had been brought to his attention.

Mashilo said that the allegations included:

·      The abuse of the municipal garage and credit cards allocated to the Speaker of Council official;

·      Failure to have an action plan from council/Municipal Public Accounts Committee and senior management on remedial actions and recouping of misused funds;

·      Failure to provide a forensic investigation report regarding employees inflated salaries, manipulation of tenders and local economic development related projects;

·      Inflated payments/fees to attorneys pertaining rendering of services to Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, such as, but not limited to, Maphanga Attorneys.

Mnguni has, with regards to the abuse of garage and credit cards allocated to Mathunyane, apportioned blame to a driver and has since charged him.

The DA has, however, accused the ANC of disrupting the meeting on Thursday last week when the motion of no confidence against Masilela was to be debated.

“Notably, on Monday, a similar incident occurred as the ANC caucus disrupted the meeting. No item on the agenda was deliberated and the speaker deferred the meeting,” said DA chief whip, Palesa Mobango, in a statement.

“It is disturbing to note how the ANC has displayed arrogance and sense of entitlement in Steve Tshwete while they obtained 36% in the local government elections 2021.”

Mobango said that ANC councillors violently disrupted Mathunyane and hoped that he would lay criminal charges.

“On a number of occasions ANC councillors have shown blatant disregard for council rules. It is unacceptable for the ANC to behave in such an unruly manner while the Systems Act indicates that council members should adhere to the Code of Conduct for councillors,” she said.

Mobango said that the DA was consulting with its legal team to ensure law and order was restored in Steve Tshwete.

“In this democratic dispensation, we can't have a political party that forcefully hangs onto power by hook or crook while it only obtained 36% at the polls. All political parties represented in the Steve Tshwete Council must reject the ANC's violent tactics in order to bring order and stability in the council,” Mobango added.