‘Mayor running a one-man show’
THE POLICE fired a stun grenade outside the Frances Baard District Municipality to disperse a group of ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) and ANC Youth League (ANCYL) members who crowded around the vehicle of the acting district mayor, Wende Marekwa, preventing him from leaving the council grounds yesterday.
Marekwa, who is the ANC Frances Baard regional deputy secretary, was sworn in yesterday as a councillor along with ANC regional treasurer Nomdomisa Budha, who is the new Frances Baard district municipal Speaker.
Marekwa, as acting district mayor, delivered the 2018/19 budget speech yesterday.
The protesters were angered by the tactics used by the police, who they stated were treating them like thugs and drug lords.
They also chanted that they were “sick and tired” of the Sol Plaatje executive mayor, Mangaliso Matika, “running a one-man show” and called for the ANC region to be disbanded.
“We want a new Sol Plaatje mayor. We also don’t want Marekwa because he is facing culpable homicide charges.”
This is while the Frances Baard mayor, Buyiswa Ximba, and the Sol Plaatje municipal Speaker, Santa Johnson, have both refused to resign following a decision by the ANC region to remove them from their posts last week.
They have demanded that the ANC provide them with reasons as to why they should vacate their positions and have secured legal representation to defend them in an urgent application to challenge their removal.
ANCWL branch secretary of ward 13, Madede Wapad, said that the protest was organised in support of all women who were being “purged and abused”.
“They are targeting Premier Sylvia Lucas, MEC for Education Martha Bartlett, MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, Johnson and Ximba. We held the protest to attract the attention of the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) but no one came to discuss our grievances.
“I agree with the DA – Matika is messing up and he must go.”
Wapad added that Marekwa and Ingrid Koopman, who were elected by the ANC region to replace Johnson as Speaker, were neither elected by the region nor were they existing councillors.
ANC member Irene May questioned why new councillors were being inducted when the existing ones have not resigned.
“There is no reason to remove them and there was never any consultation with the branches. How can you have two mayors and two Speakers and who is going to pay them?”
Frances Baard municipal manager, Mamikie Bogatsu, said that the executive mayor, Ximba, had submitted a medical certificate and would be on leave until June 1.
“She is still the executive mayor and there was no inauguration of any mayor, as councillor Marekwa was only elected to act in the position of the mayor. In terms of the municipal regulations, the budget of a municipality must be tabled by a mayor, hence council had to elect an acting mayor from among its council members to act in this position.
“The issue of the two salaries would therefore not arise as Ximba is the executive mayor. Marekwa will be paid a sitting allowance.”
ANC Frances Baard regional secretary, Webster Dichaba, however, had not noted any refusal from either Johnson or Ximba and wished them well in their new deployments.
“The ANC in the region is confident in its deployees. We can confirm that they have complied following meetings that were held to inform them about the decision to redeploy them.
“They understand the organisation as they are senior leaders who grew up in the movement. They never had issues with their redeployment as they know that they were sent by the ANC to lead government in administering its work.”
The spokesperson for the Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Zandisile Luphahla, confirmed that Budha had resigned from her post in the Ministry and wished her well in her new role as Speaker.