Mayor is blasted for Cyril smear

Free State Premier Sefora Sisi Ntombela yesterday reprimanded Dihlabeng Municipality mayor Lindiwe Makhalema for calling President Cyril Ramaphosa a “sell-out” in a Facebook post.

At least 80 000 members of the ANC post on the closed Facebook page on which one user reportedly asked the other members who they thought were the biggest sell-outs, to which Makhalema replied “Ramaphosa”.

Makhalema was reportedly rebuked by some members for the Facebook post accusing her of sowing divisions in the governing party.

She indicated that she did not care if she lost her job and stuck to her guns.

Dihlabeng includes towns such as Bethlehem, Clarens and Fouriesburg.

But Ntombela said the disrespect of leaders would not be tolerated.

“On behalf of the Free State provincial government, I would like to denounce the utterances by councillor Makhalema with the highest degree of contempt.

“As a senior leader in government, executive mayor Makhalema is expected to know that her words amount to defamation of the character of the president of the Republic.

“I have already engaged with councillor Makhalema about her unfortunate remarks, and she has agreed that her conduct was regrettable,” Ntombela said in a statement.