DA Blames Speaker, Who Points to MM
MIDDELBURG – Speaker Thato Mathunyane insists he is not obligated to call council meetings unless instructed to do so procedurally.
“When you request the Speaker to call council, there are requirements. You don’t just call council because you feel like it,” Mathunyane told Highveld Chronicle.
His comments follow a fallout with the Democratic Alliance (DA) over delays in tabling a forensic report in council, concerning the construction of a multi-million rand substation in Mhluzi.
The DA filed a motion of no confidence against Mathunyane on Monday, May 19, 2025, alleging that he failed to facilitate the report’s tabling in council.
“This report details how ANC officials allegedly misused funds during the substation’s construction,” DA councillor Palesa Mobango said in a statement released on Friday, 16 May. “Residents deserve a transparent government that acts against corrupt individuals.”
The construction project, marred by several irregularities, began in 2021 and led to the suspension of the municipal Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director for Infrastructure Services following preliminary internal investigations.
On November 18, 2023, council resolved that the Municipal Manager (MM) be allowed to deviate from normal supply chain processes to commission a forensic investigation. The report was expected to be tabled in council by the end of December 2023.
However, Mobango said attempts to have the report presented in council have been met with unexplained delays.
She noted that motion 151, submitted in December 2024, called for a special council sitting to table the forensic report. “That motion was considered during the ordinary council meeting in January 2025. The meeting resolved that a full report be submitted during a special council meeting to be arranged by the Speaker in February 2025,” she said.
“The Speaker did call a meeting in February, and the item was included on the agenda. But when the report was meant to be presented, we were suddenly told it first needed to go to the MEC for CoGTA and the Troika for an opinion.”
She further claimed the minutes reflected that the matter had been withdrawn by council. “We never withdrew the item. We were told it had to go to the MEC,” Mobango said.
She added that the party wrote to the Speaker on April 15, 2025 requesting a council sitting and an explanation for the ongoing delays. “We still haven’t received a response. Now we’re forced to take action. People need answers—this is not about politics.”
In response, Mathunyane said he is still waiting for the MM to give the go-ahead.
“It must be noted that council never mandated me to investigate or table the matter. It mandated the MM. That means once the report reaches the MM’s office, he must inform the Speaker to call a council meeting so the report can be tabled. That has not happened,” he said.
“I received a letter from the DA requesting a council meeting. We did sit on February 25, and the item was included. Council resolved that the matter be referred to CoGTA for an opinion before being returned to council,” Mathunyane explained.
He also addressed motion 151, saying it lacked the required support. “To request the Speaker to call a meeting, you need support from the majority—50 plus one councillors. The DA never submitted a petition with those signatures. Also, the Speaker may only call council if requested by the mayor,” he said. Mathunyane added that, under Rule 4, if the Speaker refuses to call council, the MM has the right to do so. “But in this case, I wasn’t requested by the MM or the mayor regarding motion 151. How can I call a meeting without being formally asked or without an item ready for discussion? It’s just unfortunate,” he said
