In spite of urgent interventions by, among others, the Limpopo MEC for CoGHSTA, the fighting between the two ANC factions within the Makhado Municipality continues. The latest "casualty" in this conflict appears to be the municipal manager (MM), who was informed of his suspension during a special council meeting last Friday (11 April).
Whether the faction, which includes the Speaker and the Chief Whip, has the authority to suspend the MM remains debatable. The decision was immediately criticised by opposition parties, and the MEC was asked to intervene. The MM, Mr Kent Nemaname, has continued reporting for duty this past week.
The bitter conflict between the two ANC factions has dragged on for years. On the one side is the mayor, Dorcus Mboyi, who appears to have the support of most ANC councillors. Her faction is opposed by a group that includes the Speaker, Gumani Mukwevho-Mitileni, and the Chief Whip, Sampson Baloyi.
A month ago, the Speaker announced that she had established a seven-person committee to investigate the municipal manager. However, the legitimacy of her "ad hoc committee" has been questioned by several ANC councillors and opposition parties, who described it as "silly games" at the expense of ratepayers. The municipality has also officially distanced itself from the process.
Mukwevho-Mitileni released a statement, saying the purpose of the ad hoc committee was "to probe the circumstances surrounding the non-appointment of the Director of Technical Services in Makhado Local Municipality." The committee, she said, would review all documentation and processes involved, meet with the relevant parties, and ultimately provide recommendations to the council for action.
On Friday, 4 April, MEC Basikopo Rogers Makamu visited the municipality to meet with councillors, officials and union representatives in an attempt to resolve the infighting, which is hampering service delivery. A council meeting scheduled for 31 March — during which a draft budget was to be approved — had to be postponed. It was reported that Makamu had requested the councillors and the Speaker to meet within seven days.
Despite the majority of councillors disagreeing with the Speaker's "inquest" into the MM, it seemingly went ahead. Last Friday, Mukwevho-Mitileni announced that the MM had been suspended. The announcement was not accepted by ANC councillors aligned with the mayor, along with opposition parties, who pointed out that the matter was not on the agenda and was not debated.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Alliance released a statement condemning the Speaker's latest actions. "The DA in Makhado is concerned by the Speaker's constant failure to apply the rules of order that allow for council decisions to be taken by the majority of councillors present in a council sitting. This blatant disregard for the rules is what led to her irregularly suspending the municipal manager unilaterally and undermines the role of the municipal council," the party said.
According to the DA's statement, Mukwevho-Mitileni incorrectly applied rule 29.4, which reads: "The ruling of the Speaker is final and binding in all the matters in which the Speaker may make a ruling as recorded in the rules of order." The Speaker allegedly used a seemingly fictitious Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) recommendation to justify the MM's suspension.
The representative for the International Revelation Congress (IRC), Dan Singo, also expressed concern over the Speaker's repeated failure to apply the rules of order. He said the Speaker had attempted to slip in an item calling for the municipal manager's suspension "through the back door", which the council had rejected.
Singo said that suspending the MM without council approval and without following a transparent process undermined the integrity of the council. He added that they would continue to monitor the situation until it was resolved.
Municipal spokesperson Mpho Rathando confirmed on Wednesday that the MM remains at work and on Tuesday formed part of the panel conducting interviews to appoint a new Director of Technical Services.