Political battles for leadership troika in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality have once again played out in the open. Political analyst Professor Sethulego Matebesi says it is unfortunate because basic services take a knock due to political differences.
At stake is the position of the executive mayor, which saw ANC’s Gregory Nthatisi permanently, elected on Friday. Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats (AASD) leader Pappie Mokoena believes he still the legitimate executive mayor pending the review by courts.
Mokoena of the AASD was elected the executive mayor on 14 April 2023. The ANC removed him through court interdict two days later. He is adamant that he is still the executive mayor of Mangaung. He argues that the review application had not been determined.
“The issue that relates to the meeting of Friday where there was an election of an executive mayor. We wrote a letter notifying the municipality in terms of the accounting officer, the acting city manager and the current chairperson of council, that electing permanent executive mayor on Friday would be unlawful because there is an executive mayor whose election has not been put aside by court,” says Mokoena.
The council nevertheless argues that it reserves the right to rescind or review the order after 90 days and that Mangaung has got only one executive mayor.
“Ntate Mokoena, if he still believes that he is the mayor, he was interdicted by the court, not to purport and serve as the executive mayor. So, he still has got the right to go back to the court and seek a legal remedy from the courts. So, we don’t have two mayors, we only have one executive mayor,” says Lawrence Mathae, ANC Chief Whip in the Mangaung Metro.
Matebesi believes that the legal battles are not good for development of communities.
“It is not for the interest of the citizens but all about how individual leaders are protecting their own interests. And it’s a sad-sad story for South Africa. Mangaung should actually set a tone of governance, after several interventions both by the provincial government and the national government. You would expect that the management and the governance within this municipality will be better,” says Matebesi.
ANC councillor Gregory Nthatisi has been elected permanently as the executive mayor during the special council meeting and Lulama Titi-Odili elected as Nthatisi’s deputy. Mokoena says the metro cannot be further put in the state of paralysis by taking unlawful decisions.
