CHAOS AT SOL OFFICES
PANDEMONIUM broke out at the Sol Plaatje Municipality offices yesterday afternoon, when all the entrances were blocked off by the police and security after the special council meeting that was supposed to convene at 2pm was called off indefinitely.
Councillors, staff and the public were locked outside, where SAPS members physically prevented them from setting foot inside the building, with strict instructions that no one was allowed in.
A message sent by the Sol Plaatje acting Speaker, Ben Springbok, at 12.31pm, informed councillors that the special council meeting had been postponed until further notice, “due to safety risk of EPWP worker threats”.
A majority of 35 councillors representing the ANC, DA and EFF and an independent councillor met in the council chambers as they insisted that the Section 106 report into allegations of fraud, corruption, maladministration and malpractice at Sol Plaatje Municipality had to be made public as a matter of urgency.
“The Section 106 report is the brainchild of the community and we are being put under pressure on a daily basis as to the outcome of the findings,” the councillors said.
They feared that the community would resort to another shutdown of the city if the long overdue report was not released.
“The council doors are shut, the gallery is closed, there are police and security at all entrances and it is very safe. It is clear that there is a premeditated attempt to camouflage the Section 106 report. It will be a great disservice to the community if this report is not tabled. We are failing the city if we go home and sit and wait for the municipality to collapse.”
Councillors proposed that the council meeting be convened at another venue or out of town if there were any safety concerns.
“They are playing tricks in order to undermine and frustrate us. The meeting was postponed without prior notice. We were told to go and stand on the bridge for our safety while the community is up in arms and there is no service delivery.”
During the meeting, Premier Sylvia Lucas was contacted telephonically, as all attempts to reach the MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) proved to be futile.
“We will stage a sit-in at the MEC’s office today. If he does not address our concerns we will approach the premier, failing which we will apply for a court order to ensure that the report is made available to the public.”
While Lucas apparently undertook to contact the MEC for Coghsta, no one from provincial government arrived to address the councillors by the time the meeting was adjourned at about 3.30pm.
Councillors called on the premier to instruct the MEC for Coghsta to order council to convene a meeting in order to discuss the report.
“The MEC should have intervened a long time ago, when bottles were thrown at opposition councillors.”
The chairperson of community crime-fighting group Wanya Tsotsi, Pantsi Obusitse, pointed out that the EPWP protest had not interfered with the council meeting.
“The workers were sitting outside, singing peacefully and never entered the building. If the municipality and ANC were genuine about our people they would have made a concerted effort to have the report tabled at another venue yesterday.”
He warned that the community was more than willing to take to the streets if the report was withheld, as they were becoming increasingly agitated at the lack of leadership.
Obusitse added that he would make an appointment to meet with the acting Speaker at Sol Plaatje today.
“He must explain, in writing, the danger that warranted the indefinite postponement of the meeting. What is the purpose of instituting an investigation if the findings are kept secret? Whoever they are trying to protect is not in the interests of the community.”
DA provincial leader Andrew Louw stated that the internal fighting within the ANC had brought the municipality to its knees.
“Ratepayers are expected to pay when they are not receiving any services. There is no contingency plan to recover financial losses and no decisions have been taken regarding the suspended municipal manager and chief financial officer.”
Louw said he was concerned that the Section 106 report implicated Coghsta in wrongdoing.
“We cannot afford to derail our pupils’ education, especially not the matrics who are busy with their exams, if there is another shutdown.”
Cope councillor Rosie Ludick pointed out that the term of the acting municipal manager had come to an end.
“The municipality has to appoint an executive mayor to urgently deal with all the budget and other financial matters.
“It is imperative for council to implement the findings of the Section 106 report.”
She advised councillors to sort out their differences,
“Never in the history of Sol Plaatje can a council be so divided. Projects have come to a complete halt and officials do as they please. We cannot have acting posts in all the key and top positions.”
Freedom Front Plus councillor Wynand Boshoff did not attend the informal meeting inside chambers yesterday as he considered it to be an illegal gathering.
“It is obvious that delaying tactics are being employed by the ANC to get its house in order before the new mayor is elected. The release of the Section 106 report is purposely being withheld. It would be of the utmost importance to convene another special council meeting this week to restore stability at the municipality.”