Phokwane Service Delivery Forum councillor, Michael Castro Sethlogomi, has been elected as the new Speaker of Phokwane Municipality.
PHOKWANE Service Delivery Forum councillor, Michael Castro Sethlogomi, has been elected as the new Speaker of Phokwane Municipality.
The provincial convener of the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD), Moeketsi Ntema said Sethlogomi was elected by all ten opposition councillors after a motion of no confidence was passed against the ANC Speaker, Willem Harmse.
“Nine ANC councillors voted for the ANC chief whip Portia Mohale, whose name was also put forward to fill the position.”
Ntema added that a motion of no confidence was also brought against the Phokwane mayor, although the item was not discussed at last week’s special council meeting.
“The opposition is intent on cleaning up the municipality.”
Sethlogomi stated that it was a great honour for him to represent the Phokwane Service Delivery Forum.
“I have been entrusted with the mammoth of a task of chairing council as the Speaker.
“We have always maintained the position that Phokwane is a hung municipality as no single party has an outright majority.
“As elected councillors of the municipality we derive our mandate from the community to whom we must account to.”
He added that all councillors, irrespective of their political affiliations, had a duty to tackle service delivery challenges.
“One of the critical aspects that hinders service delivery are ineffective ward committees. Ward committees inform council on how duties should be executed and what decisions should be taken with regards to service delivery.
“The office of the Speaker will ensure that it engages all ward committees within the municipality to ensure that they deliver on their roles through reporting and community engagement.”
Meanwhile the portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) welcomed the progress achieved by the new management of the Phokwane municipality during an oversight visit last week.
The municipality was found to be dysfunctional and on the point of dissolution in 2018 due to political and administrative instability.
It was placed under administration in 2019 where political infighting rendered it unable to deliver services.
Chairperson of the portfolio committee for Cogta, Fikile Xasa, said that the committee was informed by the new mayor, Speaker, senior management and the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs in the Province that political and administrative stability had been restored.
“The mayor and the acting municipal manager told the committee that the municipality is moving towards a better position to meet its constitutional responsibility of delivering basic services to its people.”
Xasa indicated that municipal stakeholders, including the South African National Civic Organisation, the Agricultural Union, AfriForum SA, the taxpayers and taxi associations, the Frances Baard Economic Forum, the Business Forum and youth organisations complained about poor service delivery, crumbling infrastructure, poor water quality, load shedding and incorrect billing for services rendered.
