Note to broadcasters: Please find linked soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Soret Viljoen
The ANC-run Tswaing Municipality completely disregards being placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration for a financial recovery process since August 2021.
The intervention was to restore good financial management and governance practices towards improving service delivery to residents; however, continuous cadre deployment and a complete indifference to due processes further contribute to the financial distress and imminent collapse of the municipality.
During a council meeting held yesterday in Tswaing Local Municipality, ANC councillors once again abused their majority by appointing former ANC Speaker and current Acting Corporate Services Director, Mr. Boorman Phutiagae, as the new acting Municipal Manager (MM), despite objections raised by DA Councillors.
Mr. Phutiagae will be the fourth acting MM in Tswaing since the appointed MM, Mr. Deon Mere, was suspended in April 2024, pending an investigation into his qualifications.
Thabo Meerken was then appointed as acting MM; however, Mr. Meerken resigned from the position within two weeks of his appointment.
Despite strong opposition from the DA, the ANC councillors appointed Mr. Mogale Morwe as acting MM, again, without verifying his qualifications.
In June 2024, the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr. Oageng Molapisi, appointed Mr. FT Mabokela, whose three-month acting period came to an end on 17 September 2024.
On 13 September 2024, the Mayor, Mrs. Norah Mahlangu, wrote to MEC Molapisi, requesting him to appoint a new acting MM to Tswaing, but, the MEC never responded, leaving Tswaing without a MM.
The DA is deeply concerned about the total disregard for due process. The impending collapse of Tswaing Municipality lies totally at the feet of the ANC councillors, the Speaker, the Mayor, and the MEC of COGTA.
We will write to the DA Spokesperson on COGTA in the North West Provincial Legislature, Mr. CJ Steyl, requesting him to put pressure on the MEC to release the secondment of the acting MM in Tswaing. The DA will not stand by watching while the residents of Tswaing suffer even further under the ANC cadre deployment strategy.