The ANC in Limpopo has recalled three of its senior leaders, including the mayor of the troubled Mogalakwena local municipality.
The party’s provincial executive committee (PEC) took the decision at the weekend to remove mayor Andrina Matsemela, speaker Sam Mathebula and Mike Rapatsa for failing to support the intervention team to stabilise the municipality whose seat is the town of Mokopane.
Mogalakwena was placed under administration by the Limpopo government in December last year and France Boshielo was appointed head of the intervention team to assess the state of affairs the municipality, which has been beset by infighting, the collapse of governance and poor service delivery.
The intervention was brought after the municipality failed to explain R1.12bn in unauthorised and irregular expenditure. The municipality was also in the news after it irregularly hired 300 employees without following proper procedures.
ANC spokesperson Donald Selamolela confirmed that the trio had been removed and that their replacements would be announced during the course of the week.
“We had several challenges in the municipality and we took a decision to remove the PMT (political management team) in an effort to stabilise the municipality. The administrators are continuing to do a good job in resolving the challenges there,” he said.
Selamolela said the decision has been communicated to the affected parties.
A report compiled by the ANC PEC recommended that Matsemela, Mathebula and Rapatsa be removed with immediate effect and the executive council of the municipality be reconfigured. The report further recommended that Matsemela be deployed outside Mogalakwena.
“PEC deployees will immediately assess who else should be redeployed outside the municipality. PEC officials will also make an assessment on the state of the regional executive committee of Waterberg,” read the report.
Matsemela didn’t respond to Sowetan’s questions regarding her removal.
Last year Matsemela opened a criminal case against some fellow ANC councillors after council was violently disrupted.
The committee said it found that there were divisions between the trio and some executive committee members, and as such the trio was not able to give adequate support to the intervention team.
“The trio processed the matter of the reinstatement of the suspended municipal manager, Beverly Gunqisa, without the concurrence of the administrator. There are EXCO members who boycott council meetings and activities to derail progress,” stated the report.
Administrator Boshielo said his team assessed the payment for consulting firm Future CA, which was appointed to assist the municipality obtain a clean audit opinion.
“The firm was appointed without specified contract value, which is financial risk . As in February 2020 Mogalakwena had already paid over R20m against the annual provision of R5m,” he said.
The ANC Waterberg regional secretary, Jacob Moabelo, said there was a strong view that there is no political leadership both in the EXCO and three senior leaders.
The chairperson of Mogalakwena Concerned and Affected Communities Motlatso Selomo said as residents they were not pleased with the ANC’s decision because they had been calling for the same but the party didn’t listen.
“We told the ANC that your councillors are fighting and as result we are suffering due to these factions. We can’t get adequate services in Mogalakwena because corruption has run that institution down,” she said.
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