By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The inaugural Council meeting of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West, following the by-elections held on 14 December, was disrupted yesterday by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ultimately adjourned.
Administrator Patrick Mosiane has been accused of failing to initiate the process to have Councillors-Elect sworn in so that Council could proceed with the election of the Speaker, the Municipal Executive Council, and the Mayor.
The EFF raised concerns that they did not receive invitations for the inaugural meeting, that the deployment of Administrator Mosiane has ended and therefore could not preside over the business of the day.
The arrangements surrounding this inaugural meeting have been chaotic, having originally been scheduled for 22 December 2022 in the Ditsobotla Council Chambers, it was then postponed to yesterday, 28 December, at the SAVF Hall, but a last-minute change in venue was made to hold the meeting at the Mokone Hall due to “reputational issues with the municipality.”
The DA raised a point of order that the Administrator’s role, insofar as the inaugural meeting, was only to facilitate the swearing in of Councillors-Elect by the Magistrate and the election of Speaker, which would then see Council fully constituted to finalise the election of the Executive Council and the Mayor.
The African National Congress (ANC) has lost control of the Ditsobotla local municipality – after being at the helm since the first municipal elections in 2000.
The party only managed to garner 39 percent of the votes following by-elections, down from the 51 percent it received after the November local government elections.
All 20 wards were being contested in the by-elections after the ANC-run council was dissolved by parliament in September this year due to massive breaches of non-compliance.
The EFF have gained more support as compared to the November polls, going from 15 percent of the votes in the municipality to 26 percent – cementing its place as the official opposition party.