Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Thulani Mbana and Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Linda Day.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Metsimaholo will submit written questions to the Municipal Manager (MM) and the Office of the Speaker to determine the amount spent on legal fees and the action to be taken to address the fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred.
During the special council meeting held on 27 November 2025, the municipal manager announced that the Bloemfontein High Court had dismissed the municipality’s leave to appeal.
This comes after the municipality was found to have unlawfully dismissed the CFO by the Bloemfontein High Court a few months ago. This dismissal comes with costs to everyone, as set out in the court papers, which are to be paid jointly and severally.
During the meeting, the council passed a resolution to terminate the CFO’s contract, and the Democratic Alliance was very vocal in opposing the processes used to suspend the CFO and, eventually, terminate his contract.
All the major parties, including three smaller parties, voted in favour of this unlawful termination of the CFO’s contract. The DA’s former mayor was removed for refusing to implement illegal instructions from the council, and this judgment further vindicated the DA’s principles of good governance.
The municipal manager further informed council that the municipality will await further advice from the lawyers on how to proceed, further risking the waste of municipal funds that could run into millions of rands in legal fees.
This judgment should serve as a lesson that councils are not law unto themselves and all actions have consequences, even for councillors who think they are immune to legal repercussions.
This judgment must serve as a reminder that councils are not above the law and that every action carries consequences, even for councillors who believe they are immune to accountability.