“Moving forward we urge the new leadership and the entire council to join hands and rectify past mistakes and make sure that they deliver much-needed services.”
PHOKWANE Municipality, which had been leaderless since June, has a new mayor and Speaker, who were appointed during a council meeting on Monday.
The municipality is still under administration.
ANC councillor Keamogetse Mothibi was elected as the mayor while fellow ANC councillor Francis Molola was appointed as the Speaker.
A power struggle between various councillors had wreaked havoc at the municipality when the ousted Phokwane mayor, Sentse Kalman, and Speaker, Horatious Modiakgotla, who were expelled from the ANC, refused to step down from their positions.
Phokwane Municipality still has to present its adjustment budget before the end of the year.
ANC councillors Crocket Adams and Mokale were ordered to step down by the ANC after they were elected by a majority vote, in contravention of a mandate to elect Mothibi and Molola in August.
ANC councillors had previously refused to attend several council meetings or staged walk-outs during meetings that were arranged to elect Mothibi and Molola, where no quorum could be reached.
ANC Frances Baard region spokesperson Tshepo Louw said that Adams and Mokale, along with other ANC councillors – Lucas Magagane, Moses Thabang Koloane, Liza Magerman – and ANC member Mtuzimele George Mtshayi, were found guilty by the regional disciplinary committee, where they have appealed the outcome of the disciplinary hearings.
Louw congratulated the newly elected mayor and Speaker of Phokwane Municipality.
“We call upon all members and volunteers to work hard together towards the upcoming by-elections on February 4 to 5, 2020, to safeguard the ANC as the only beacon of hope to the people of Phokwane.
“Moving forward we urge the new leadership and the entire council to join hands and rectify past mistakes and make sure that they deliver much-needed services.”
Louw indicated that Kalman and Modiakgotla were no longer ANC members after being expelled from the party.
