Metsimaholo coalition parties gun for mayor

POLITICAL parties in the coalition-led Metsimaholo Local Municipality maintain they still want current executive mayor Lindiwe Tshongwe out of office and are waiting with bated breath to seal her fate.

Yesterday efforts to pass a motion of no confidence vote against Tshongwe hit a snag again as council members failed to pitch for a meeting.

According to the Speaker, councillor Thabo Mabasa of the ANC, he and Tshongwe were left in the lurch and were the only members who attended.

Tshongwe, who has been on sick leave for the past two months, returned to the council chambers yesterday despite her sick note indicating that she would officially be back at work on Monday.

Mabasa confirmed that a new agenda would be tabled at a meeting next week on Friday when the motion would be debated.

Meanwhile, Metsimaholo Concerned Residents leader and council whip Victor Nyembe said parties were waiting to act on Tshongwe.

“This municipality is still plunged in crisis and is in need of an urgent intervention. As if we don’t have enough problems, we are also not happy with how the acting mayor, Mosiuoa Poho, handled matters while Tshongwe was away.

“He knows that we are a coalition government, but was hell-bent on making the decision alone and not consulting us,” he said.

The stand-off in the municipality is further exacerbated by a numbers conundrum.

The SACP, of which Tshongwe is a member, has only three seats in the municipality and to gain power it joined forces with the ANC, the Metsimaholo Community Association (MCA), the Forum for Service Delivery (FSD) and the African Independent Congress (AIC).

But the MCA, FSD and AIC are not happy and have since filed a motion against Tshongwe with allegations, which include failure to exercise and execute her statutory powers and inconsistency in implementing council resolutions.

The municipality was placed under administration last year with the decision later retracted. It is without a permanent municipal manager and chief financial officer.

“This municipality resembles the soapie Generations. Almost everyone here is acting, acting, acting. We need stability for the benefit of residents in this area” Nyembe said.

DA provincial leader Patricia Kopane said the issues in the Free State municipality would not be solved by the vote to oust Tshongwe.

“The municipality is run by people who don’t know how to govern. Politics is simple. It’s about numbers.

“They now want us to give them numbers to keep them in power. That won’t happen. Not at the expense of the people of Metsimaholo. If a by-election happens so be it,” she said.

Tshongwe said she wouldd only comment after the council meeting