Today the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo will write the MEC for COGHSTA, Basikopo Makamu, to dissolve the Mokgalakwena municipal council in terms of section 139(5) of the Constitution.
The embattled Mokgalakwena municipality has been plagued by ANC factionalism, unashamed looting, lavish spending and corruption for years.
In September 2019 the DA requested then Minister for Cooperative Governance, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to investigate the R1.17 billion in irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the Mokgalakwena Municipality.
The fruitless intervention by the ANC’s Provincial Executive Council (PEC) on 4 December 2020 to dismiss Mokgalakwena Local municipality’s mayor, Andrina Matsimela, the Speaker, chief whip and the entire executive committee, was confirmed by the ANC’s National Dispute Resolution Committee (NDRC) yesterday after they had received a dispute from affected cadres.
The toothless NDRC, chaired by ANC deputy secretary-general Jesse Duarte, confirmed that the decision made by the PEC must now be implemented including but not limited to:
· The political management team should be released with immediate effect
· The EXCO of Mokgalakwena should be reconfigured
· Mayor Andrina Matsimela should be redeployed outside Mokgalakwena municipality
The DA is certain that the NDRC’s decision will be met with resistance; with the Local Government Elections around the corner it is highly doubtful that these comrades will voluntarily relinquish their positions.
The DA calls on MEC Makamu to save Mokgalakwena from this political factionalism and to dissolve this dysfunctional council which has paralyzed the capacity of the municipality to prudently manage its affairs and to deliver basic services to the residents.
We further call on MEC Makamu to make known the findings of the forensic report commissioned by Treasury and to action the recommendations with immediate effect.
The DA will continue the fight against corrupt office bearers. Poor service delivery and corruption are synonymous with this municipality and the people of Mokgalakwena deserve better.