By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Nono Maloyi expressed shock on the resignation of Mayor Itumeleng Elizabeth Lethoko who tendered her letter of resignation last night after her inauguration.
This was after the Speaker tabled an item of the secondment of the acting Municipal Manager, which some of the councillors were opposed to, indicating that the item was not on the agenda of the meeting.
Maloyi said that the intervention in Ditsobotla which led to the by-elections on 14 December 2022 ended after the announcement of the results by the IEC. With regard to the position of the Municipal Manager, the MEC seconded James Mashigo who is a Chief Director in the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to the municipality to act as a Municipal Manager until council had convened to take a decision on the matter.
The secondment was in line with Section 154 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which enjoins both national and provincial government to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to perform their functions.
In a huge blow to the ANC, the governing party failed to win an outright majority for the first time, with 39.82%, down from the 51% it received from the 2021 local polls.
Lethoko is not new to the mayoral post or controversy at the ailing council.
A former member of the ANC, she was reportedly convicted of fraud and in breach of the Municipal Finance Management Act in 2015 for attempting to influence the finance chief to use municipal funds for a birthday party, disguised as a Women’s Day celebratory event.
The same court also found that Lethoko and her co-accused tried to influence the same official to pay R200 000 for services that amounted to irregular and unauthorised expenditure.
The incidents happened while she was ANC mayor in 2006.
The Lichtenburg Regional Court sentenced her to five years or a R10 000 fine. She paid the fine and was swiftly elected NEC member of the ANCWL- despite a criminal conviction.
The EFF became the official opposition, dethroning the DA after getting 26% of the votes, and further snatching two wards from the ANC.
ANC now has 16 seats, followed by the EFF with 10 and the DA now with six.
The PA has two PR (Public Representative) seats.
F4SD retained its two seats, while the few remaining seats went to smaller parties.