Note to editors: Please find attached an English soundbite by Cllr Richard Khumalo.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality (MaP) is concerned that the Public Safety, Transport and Protection Services Section 80 Committee has only convened three times in 16 months.
It is very worrying that the committee is not convening regularly and when they rarely convene not all councillors are present. The Committee is unable to present recommendations to the council as is their responsibility. Therefore, many critical items presented in the council are not discussed by the Portfolio Committee, delaying resolutions and ultimately service delivery.
It is embarrassing when the Executive Mayor presents an item which was not discussed in any Committee meeting, causing a lack of accountability in the municipality. Standing rules and orders of the council clearly state that councillors must submit apologies and the apology has to be approved. If three consecutive meetings are not attended without apology, disciplinary steps must be taken against them.
The DA will not tolerate this lack of accountability. We will ask the council what disciplinary measures will be taken to ensure compliance. Unfortunately, the community is suffering because of the MaP16-led municipality’s lack of governance. Furthermore, we will advocate for regular Section 80 Committee meetings to discuss critical issues in this municipality.