Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Leona Kleynhans and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Ana Motaung.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will formally write to the Speaker and Municipal Manager and escalate the matter to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) following an irregular, procedurally compromised council meeting at the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality.
A council meeting of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality descended into chaos, after neither the Accounting Officer, Takatso Lebenya, nor the Speaker, Thabo Mokoena, nor the Executive Mayor, Conny Msibi, attended the meeting. There were rumours of these officials being elsewhere engaged, but no formal apologies were tabled. The DA proposed postponing the meeting to ensure the Mayor and MM are available to address several agenda items, including various legal matters.
The Chief Whip, Makgalema, insisted that the meeting can continue under an Acting MM, an Acting Speaker, and an Acting Mayor. These Acting positions were elected; however, the DA pointed out that these temporary acting leaders had not been duly delegated and thus could not fully account for, nor be held responsible for, the urgent items needing interrogation.
The DA announced that it would not participate due to the lack of accountable leaders to be held to account by the council, and again stated that the only legally acceptable solution would be to postpone the meeting. The MaP 16 and SDDF councillors indicated that they too would leave the meeting should it not be postponed.
After these councillors left, there was no longer a quorum. However, other councillors were called to join the team’s link. The meeting continued.
The DA believes that there were several violations of the Standard Rules and Orders Part 7, including the continuation of a meeting that should have been adjourned. Also, a proposal to postpone the meeting was seconded by several councillors; however, this proposal was not acted upon.
We will not stand by while the duly elected council is abused and turned into a circus. It is time for law and order to be reinstated at the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Council.