By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) councillor Gregory Nthatisi has been elected as the Acting Executive Mayor of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
A total of 93 votes were casted, with no spoilt votes, Nthatisi received 50 votes while councillor Mojalefa Mongale only obtained 43 votes and the voting process was held by secret ballot.
This follows a sucessful interdict by the ANC in the Free State from allowing newly elected Mangaung mayor Papi Mokoena from occupying the higher office and that of the chief Whip, David Mosoeu.
Judge Sharon Chesiwe granted the ANC an interim order that interdicted Mokoena from performing duties as a mayor.
Mokoena was also barred from holding himself as the executive mayor of Mangaung and was also interdicted from appointing an acting executive mayor in his absence.
Nthatisi said he would be acting for at least the next three months in the hope that Mokoena’s matter would soon be put to bed.
“The steps that were taken were meant to ensure that the Mangaung council does not get dormant and inefficient and non-operational, as a result of the litigious processes.
ANC argued that the election of the two was unlawful as the council sitting that elected them was attended by seven expelled councillors who were interdicted from participating in the proceedings. However, the Speaker of council, Maryke Davies, allowed the proceedings to continue despite the interdict.
Mokoena and Mosoeu were elected unopposed during a special council sitting.
The ANC also argued that without the seven expelled councillors from their bench, the council would not have formed a quorum.
Before their election, the ANC obtained a court interdict to prevent the seven councillors from participating in the council sitting.
The seven councillors who were interdicted included former deputy mayor Mapaseka Mothibi-Nkoane, Patrick Monyakoana, Makoa Lelala, Chabedi Rampai, Mpho Mokoakoa, Puseletso Seleke and Lehlohonolo Moqolo.
The ANC councillors were expelled after they defied the party and voted with the opposition during the council sitting to elect the Speaker.
The ANC had given them an instruction to vote for their regional chairperson, Lawrence Mathae, as the Speaker and vote for Nthatisi as the mayor. But the seven members ignored the call after a fallout with the party following the election of Mxolisi Dukwana as the provincial chairperson.
The seven members who were aligned with former premier Sisi Ntombela felt that the results of the provincial conference were rigged, and were determined to make the ANC in Mangaung pay.
After electing Davies as the Speaker, the ANC conducted a polygraph test on all their members in the council before they were ousted by other members.
The ANC expelled them and obtained the court interdict to prevent them from participating in the council sitting that elected the mayor.
Mokoena’s party, Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats (AASD), said it was disappointed that the court granted the ANC an interim order despite its application not being heard in court.
They argued that the City’s Speaker, council or newly elected Mokoena were not cited as respondents in the case; however, its outcome had direct effects on them.