The petition initiated by vocal Bloemfontein resident, Themba Zweni, on change.org calls into question the efficacy of the council at this stage in helping the metro recover from its financial burdens
Zweni tells OFM News, he believes Mangaung’s council is compromised at this stage and views its dissolution, as the only way forward.
He points at the mounting questions around Mayor Olly Mlamleli’s reported ousting on Friday as evidence of this assertion. OFM News’s Olebogeng Motse provides a recap of the council sitting in question.
Mlamleli was removed as Mayor of the Metro via a no confidence vote by secret ballot during a frantic council sitting on Friday evening. The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) was behind, what at that time was deemed to be the third and final motion of no confidence vote against Mlamleli, since she took the helm as the Mayor of the troubled municipality – or so was thought.
In a dramatic twist of events, Speaker, Mxolisi Siyonzana was prevented from making the announcement of the voting results due to ANC councilors allegedly staging a walkout. A quorum is needed to make the announcement.
The FF Plus maintains that “this does not change the result, as a quorum was present during the vote. Siyonzana has however cast the entire voting process into question telling Eyewitness News that some councillors were playing music during voting.
In reaction to the article Zweni asks “when did they realize that there was no quorum on or before voting?”. He references rule 13.2 of the Municipality’s promulgated rules and orders which stipulates that “before a formal vote is taken on any matter before the Council, the Speaker shall cause the bells to be rung for a period of 1 minute, after which all doors shall be closed and no member or other person shall be allowed to enter or leave the Chamber”, implying Siyonzana’s explanation defies logic, seeing as he has the authority to ensure there is order in council. The Mangaung Metro Speaker, is yet to respond to OFM News’s queries on the matter, but he did tell Eyewitness News, a follow-up council sitting will be held this week, to provide clarity on the matter.
Irrespective of the drama that is unfolding, opposition parties, have already claimed victory. The FF Plus, DA and EFF all welcomed the outcome, adding that “the majority of councilors across party political boundaries voted according to their conscience to remove the mayor and regard this as a victory for the residents of the metro”. It has been reported, 31 councillors voted for Mlamleli’s axing, while 28 voted against it and 8 ballot papers were spoiled.
Thus far 128 people and counting have signed Zweni’s petition, it remains to be seen if it will make the impact he hopes it will.
The cash-strapped Mangaung Metro which includes Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Dewetsdorp, and Wepener was placed under provincial care in December 2019, following Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo’s call for Premier Sisi Ntombela’s intervention.
The call for intervention came whilst Mangaung was reeling from two downgrades by credit ratings agency Moody’s, which was deemed to be a reflection of the municipality’s weak and declining liquidity position and meant there was a high risk the municipality will not be able to fulfil its obligations.
This was evidenced by the metro being dragged to court by Bloem Water over its now more than R1 billion water bill, as well as a subsequent failure to pay salaries on time in January 2020.
According to National Treasury, the Mangaung Municipality’s finances deteriorated substantially since 2018/19, leading to the adoption of a financial recovery plan, which the national department of Cogta and National Treasury agreed to. An administrative team led by Advocate Mzwakhe Mofokeng was appointed to help dig the municipality out of its financial hole, however it’s alleged the team has faced resistance from within the municipality.
