The conflict between ANC councillors within the Makhado Municipality seems far from resolved, with yet another council meeting, held on 31 March, being disrupted and postponed because of political infighting. The meeting was set to, among other matters, discuss the municipality's 2025/26 draft budget.
Monday's meeting was postponed until further notice as a result of what many view as Speaker Gumani Mukwevho Mitileni and Chief Whip Sampson Baloyi's inability to maintain order. Some ANC councillors have once again called for Speaker Mukwevho Mitileni's resignation. Their call comes amidst severe factional infighting among ANC members, which has resulted in several council meetings' being called off or postponed because of disruptive behaviour.
The ANC councillors aligned with Mayor Dorcus Mboyi, opposing Speaker Mukwevho Mitileni and Chief Whip Baloyi's faction, have accused Mukwevho Mitileni of failing to comply with the council's code of conduct and have stated that they would be submitting a motion of no confidence in Speaker Mukwevho Mitileni.
Monday's disruption and postponement followed after Mukwevho Mitileni apparently asked to see the attendance register of the strategic planning meeting the municipality held in Polokwane from 17 to 19 March. Mukwevho Mitileni and Baloyi tried to have this meeting postponed, despite the venue's having already been booked at huge cost to taxpayers. Not getting their way, Mukwevho Mitileni and Baloyi then allegedly delayed the start of the 17 March meeting by four hours, eventually walking out of the planning session, while the councillors and officials in attendance continued without them.
This disruptive behaviour by senior elected ANC officials is nothing new to the Makhado Municipality. Last year, three council meetings collapsed in succession without any decisions being taken. Speaking at an event at The Ranch Hotel outside Polokwane in August last year, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Basikopo Makamu, made special mention of the turmoil in municipalities. He referred to the Thabazimbi Municipality's being placed under administration and made clear that other municipalities, such as Musina and Makhado, must get their houses in order and prioritise service delivery.
The power struggle between ANC councillors within the Makhado Municipality has been ongoing for years. The two factions consist of those backing Mayor Mboyi and those supporting the Speaker and Chief Whip. Much of the blame is placed on Mukwevho Mitileni's shoulders, as she is accused of failing to maintain order during meetings. Monday's meeting was yet another example of this.
Mayor Mboyi's faction wanted to proceed with the meeting to discuss items relating to the draft budget. The Speaker and Chief Whip's faction was apparently reluctant to proceed, and once again, the start of the meeting ended up being delayed for hours. Among the budget items councillors sought clarity on were the proposed purchase of a fridge at a cost of R50,000 and two microwaves at a cost of R15,000 each. Mention was also made of the purchase of a chainsaw at a cost of R130,000.
The meeting, however, descended into chaos, leading to its eventual postponement. In reaction, Jacques Smalle, the provincial chairperson of the Democratic Alliance (DA), said he was deeply concerned about the recently tabled municipal budget, which did not align with the real needs of communities. He said it was evident that senior managers and executive members had failed to engage with ward councillors, disregarding the very representatives elected to serve the people.
Smalle stated that the budget lacked transparency and failed to prioritise essential service delivery, adding that there was a clear absence of benchmarking prices, raising serious questions about the procurement processes being followed. He said that over-budgeting in key areas created opportunities for wasteful expenditure and mismanagement, rather than ensuring that funds were used effectively to uplift communities.
The representative of the International Revelation Congress (IRC), Dan Singo, also expressed his disappointment with the actions of ANC members, who were only interested in fighting for positions in the council meeting. He said that if political parties could not even reach a consensus on who the leaders should be, this reflected poor leadership. "This is not an ANC meeting, but a council meeting," he said. Singo added that he was also disappointed by the way ANC members had taken control of the meeting, instructing the Speaker to do as they wished and disrupting the proceedings.
In conclusion, MEC Makamu was expected to address the councillors and officials regarding the ongoing conflict within the Makhado Municipality on Thursday, 3 April (today).