Sedibeng municipality is on the verge of collapse after a council meeting that was expected to be held on Friday was postponed, said municipal manager Motsumi Mathe.
This would be the third meeting postponement in the past two months and has delayed the tabling of the adjustment budget. Other matters that have been delayed include a progress report on an investigation regarding the CFO and the motion of no confidence against the mayor Lerato Maloka.
Mathe said the council must sit before March 31 to consider the draft budget, however “the current impasse of not convening council has the potential to collapse the municipality”.
This postponement follows legal letters and petitions by political parties in the council to force the speaker’s hand to hold a meeting.
Speaker Moipane Modikeng had previously told Sowetan that she could not convene a meeting without specific documents from the mayor’s office.
“I have to get the reports from the mayor, such as the adjustment budgets and reports from the various departments, so that I may convene the council,” she said.
However, Mathe said the final decision lies with the speaker.
“The executive mayor is responsible for convening the mayoral committee, then submits reports to the speaker to be considered by council.
“Not all reports that serve before council require consultation with the executive mayor; rather, the final decision lies with the speaker,” he said.
Further complicating matters, Sowetan understands that Modikeng has since been expelled by the ANC, leaving uncertainty around the speaker position and contributing to delays in convening a council meeting.
In a council communiqué, Mathe instructs councillors to disregard a notice previously issued by Modikeng.
“Please be advised that the council sitting scheduled for March 27 has been postponed. The postponement is due to the vacancy of the speaker of council ... you are therefore kindly advised to note that the notice issued on March 24 by the former speaker, Cllr M Modikeng, is invalid, and should be ignored,” he said.
PAC secretary-general Apa Pooe said, “it is quite evident that they [the municipality] are adamant to not hold a council meeting”.
In its urgent legal letter sent to the municipality on Wednesday, lawyers representing the party said the postponement of the council meeting was legally defective.
“The vacancy of the speaker does not suspend the legislative and executive obligations of the municipal council, nor does it override strict statutory deadlines,” the letter read.
Pooe said if the draft budget is not tabled by March 31, National Treasury may withhold funding [equitable share] to the municipality.
“This is not theoretical, it is a real and immediate risk already raised by Provincial Treasury. If this situation is not urgently corrected, residents will feel the impact directly,” he said.
He said service delivery could deteriorate or collapse, with disruptions to refuse collection, water provision, road maintenance and community services.
“Projects may come to a halt, contractors may stop work due to non-payment, and staff salaries and daily operations could be affected. Without an approved budget, the municipality cannot legally spend on new or ongoing projects,” Pooe said.
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