Note to editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Diphapang Mofokeng.
In an unprecedented move, 7 out of 10 ANC councillors, including the Mayor, failed to show up for a Nketoana Local Municipality council meeting held on 27 March 2024, with no leave of absence. This concerted effort by some ANC councillors to sabotage the council is an attempt to collapse service delivery.
The purpose of the meeting was to address the following, among others: a 2024/25 draft annual budget and IDP, a report on suspected fraud and corruption and a report on attachment orders of municipal bank accounts and movable assets.
The boycott has led to non-compliance with Section 16 (2) Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) which states that the Mayor must table a draft annual budget to the council at least 90 days before the start of the new financial year. This non-compliance will delay the much-needed consultation with communities on the budget and will also be flagged by the Auditor General.
This however was not the first time these councillors were absent without apology. On a previous occasion, they also boycotted a council meeting on 28 February 2024 which was due to deliberate on the Midyear adjustments budget. In another council meeting, they walked out causing the meeting to collapse due to lack of quorum.
The Speaker requested the Municipal Manager to impose a fine on those councillors in terms of Amended Standard Rules and Orders Rule 13 (6) which states that “a councillor contemplated… must pay to the Council a fine equal to 10 per cent of that councillors monthly salary, which fine must be deducted from the first next payment due to the councillor by the municipality…”
The DA will follow-up with the Municipal Manager in the next council meeting on the implementation of this rule.
Local government in a Free State is in a state of disaster and only the DA can rescue our province. This can only happen if voters take charge of their destinies and vote for a prosperous future. The vision of a better future is what the DA shares with all residents of Nketoana. We encourage voters to vote for change in the upcoming elections.