Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Dirk Kotze and Sesotho by Cllr David Masoeu.
During a recent council meeting the Performance agreements of the City Manager of the Mangaung Metro Municipality (MMM) were presented for acknowledgement. The Democratic Alliance (DA) can confirm that these agreements were delayed by six months and mirrored those of the previous acting city managers, featuring unmet targets.
The DA expresses disappointment as the ANC, with a majority vote, elevated Sello More to the maximum remuneration package of R2,451,810 effective from his appointment date of November 1, 2023, with retrospective payment. Six months after assuming office as the accounting officer of MMM, the following failures were reported.
- He has not reported to Council on the ransomware hack to date;
- He disregarded a request from the Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to attend a session regarding public and opposition parties’ sewerage complaints;
- Overtime payments have surpassed the annual budget by R 77.5 million, reaching R 97 million, with no resolution in sight to curtail these expenses;
- The appointment of Marion Mbina-Mthembu as CFO, despite findings by the Public Protector of improper conduct related to funds for Mandela’s funeral in December 2013.
- Failure or delay in complying with an interim court order concerning the illegal land grab in Lourierpark; and
- Absence of Disaster Management and Contingency plans to safeguard Mangaung residents in the event of another disaster.
On 8 February, a delegation from the Mangaung DA caucus convened with the city manager to address various concerns regarding service delivery. Discussions encompassed numerous issues, including water supply and sewage, road conditions and waste management.
Specific concerns were voiced regarding municipal account estimates, the dispute register, and debt collection. More assured the delegation of his commitment to fostering transparent, respectful, and prompt communication regarding service delivery. He pledged to reassess and enforce the municipality’s policies and regulations, and he also committed to promptly resolving pothole claims.
Furthermore, he undertook to bring motions concerning service delivery before the council and assured the DA of a response regarding their request to conduct an oversight visit to the information communication technology department by 01 March 2024. Regrettably, none of these commitments have been upheld to date.
He was reinstated as City Manager due to his status as a protected cadre tasked with safeguarding the corrupt interests of the ruling ANC. In May 2021, the DA formally requested the charging of More, who previously served as the Head of Solid Waste and Fleet, for maladministration. However, this request was disregarded by the acting city manager, Adv Tankiso Mea, and Deputy Mayor Masoetsa.
The ANC can only rule with cadre deployment to look after their corrupt interests that placed Mangaung Metro under administration. This proves that the time is now for South Africa to rescue South Africa and vote the ANC out of power.