Note to editors: Please find attached an English soundbite by Cllr Thabo Nthapo, Afrikaans by Cllr Mariska Potgieter and Sesotho by Karabo Khakhau MP.
There is no end to the ongoing dispute regarding the non-payment of pension funds to Letsemeng Municipal workers. This is after Speaker, Xolani Mthukwane, postponed the meeting scheduled for yesterday, 11 September. These disputes include the non-payment of pension funds to workers and the objections to Dineo Tsikang’s role as acting Municipal Manager, as fairness and accountability are crucial to the workers. We strongly believe that the factional ANC in Letsemeng should take immediate action to address the situation, as it is unjust to both the employees and the residents.
Residents of Letsemeng are facing a dire situation as strife within the ANC exacerbates the challenges in the municipality. Currently, refuse collection has come to a standstill, and residents are enduring daily water cuts due to employees’ work slowdown. Furthermore, deliberate power cuts by employees have added to the woes, pressuring the speaker to reconvene a postponed meeting. This, in turn, has left residents unable to pay their accounts, leading to frustration and mounting interest.
Following the Letsemeng Local Municipality council meeting held on Thursday, 31 August 2023, where the Speaker ruled on a matter without a quorum present, thereby removing Kadimo Masekoane as the acting Municipal Manager seconded by CoGTA and reinstating Dineo Tsikang as acting Municipal Manager, while also suspending the CFO, Sethembile Tooi, pending an investigation on fleet procurement, the Speaker has issued an invitation for another Special Council Meeting to revoke all council resolutions made on 31 August.
This situation arises following an investigation by the South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) into a R40 million tender awarded to a Bloemfontein-based company in August last year, with excavation work already in progress, implicating the previous acting MM and Technical Director, Dineo Tsikang.
The Council is currently showing negligence by failing to address the vacant Director positions, allowing director contracts to lapse without extension, and leaving previous employees on the banking account, including Tsikang, who has not been removed after her acting period as MM ended. This is a matter of accountability.
The DA insists that the MEC of CoGTA should visit the Letsemeng Local Municipality to address the situation. It is evident that Kadimo Masekoane was appointed by the MEC of CoGTA, not the council, and thus, the council lacks the legal authority to remove him as acting Municipal Manager.
The Mayor and Speaker, along with the rest of the ANC caucus, must take responsibility for the dire situation facing Letsemeng. Additionally, we will ensure that the MONC against the Speaker is tabled as soon as possible. The DA fully supports the Hawks’ investigations into tender irregularities and the non-payment of pension funds.