SIYABUSWA – The mayor of Dr JS Moroka municipality, Thulare Madileng, says he is in full support of a decision taken by the ANC to fire 15 councillors who supported his removal.
The party’s regional disciplinary committee (RDC) on Monday resolved to terminate membership and to fire 15 councillors collaborated with opposition to “illegally” remove Thulare in October last year. When speaking to Highveld Chronicle on Tuesday, mayor Madileng explained reasons why he is in support of the RDC decision. “Because consequential management implementation is very key and important in every organisation,” he said.
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“We (ANC) are all councillors at the Municipality at the instance of the Congress Movement and must at all times abide by its Constitution,” he said. Mayor Madileng and municipal manager, Thami Khubheka, have been involved in a spat to have control of the cash strapped municipality. Their battle has seen them in and out of court leaving residents at the receiving end of service delivery.
A month ago the provincial government placed the municipality under curatorship (administration) as part of intervention to ensure that the municipality goes back to stable financial health whilst delivering services to the people. The province announced it will assume responsibility on all executive obligations of the municipality in terms of Section 56 of the Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act No 117 of 1998) as assigned to the Executive Mayor as well as the Executive obligations of the Administration as assigned to the Municipal Manager in terms of Section 55 of the Municipal Systems Act, (Act No 32 of 2000).
When asked if he is still the mayor following the invocation of section 139 (1) (b), Madileng said, “Yes, I am still the Executive Mayor of Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality because council has not been dissolved. It is only Section 139 1(c) that dissolves council,” he said. “Obviously some of the Executive Mayor’s functions will now henceforth for a period of about six (6) months be executed by the Administrator,” he concluded.
