DA objects to the irregular suspension of the municipal manager by the Speaker in Makhado municipality

During an urgent special council meeting on the 11^th of April the speaker used a seemingly fictitious Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) recommendation that was not submitted by the MPAC committee to unilaterally suspend the Municipal Manager. The speaker of council undermined rule 12.1 and 12.2 of the standing rules of order which states that “All matters will be decided by the majority of councillors present at the meeting.”

Instead, the speaker incorrectly applied rule 29.4 which reads “The ruling of the speaker is final and binding in all the matters in which the speaker may make a ruling as recorded in the rules of order.”

The reason for this questionable suspension is that the municipal manager allegedly submitted requested documents to MPAC later than 7days, and this on its own should not be grounds for suspension without other processes being pursued. This irregular suspension seems likely to be a result of factional battles and infighting within the ANC in Makhado Municipality.

Makhado Municipality is faced with serious challenges such as water failures, infrastructure and financial challenges, and the irregular suspension of the Municipal Manager will only exacerbate these problems and make life harder for residents of Makhado.

The DA in Makhado is concerned by the speaker’s constant failure to apply the rules of order that allows for council decisions to be taken by the majority of councillors present in a council sitting. This blatant disregard for the rules is what led to her irregularly suspending the municipal manager unilaterally and undermines the role of the municipal council.

The DA is committed to ensuring residents receive adequate services from well run municipalities and we will continue to monitor this situation until it is resolved.