DA shock that firing of mayor put on hold

THE DA in the West Rand has vowed to table a motion of no confidence against the Merafong mayor, Maphefo Mogale-Letsie, just a few days after her party, the ANC, put on hold a proposal by its provincial integrity committee to fire her both as mayor and party member.

Yesterday Ina Cilliers, the DA’s head of constituency in Merafong, said her party was shocked that the ANC had “rejected” a recommendation by its committee to fire Mogale-Letsie over her alleged involvement in the investment of R50 million in the now “non-functional” VBS Mutual Bank.

She said it “indicated that the ANC are protecting those implicated in illegal activities, at the expense of our residents. Since 2011, Merafong has had at least seven acting or permanent municipal managers”.

Cilliers said the alleged lack of fiscal management had a negative impact on the running of the municipality.

She said the DA councillors would be tabling a motion of no confidence against Mogale-Letsie.

But ANC councillor and Speaker, Elvis Mphithikezi, said his party would oppose such a motion, and that the DA would have to wait until next year to table such a motion.

It would be the DA’s third motion against Mogale-Letsie. The first motion failed in council and the second was withdrawn, allegedly after the person who proposed the motion failed to attend a council meeting.

Meanwhile, the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Lebogang Maile, has rejected the DA’s call to place the provincial Rand West Local Municipality under administration because of a debt of more than R235m owed to Eskom.