Government approves Tshwane dissolution

The Gauteng executive committee has received approval from the national department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs to go ahead with the dissolution of the embattled City of Tshwane.

City Press understands that Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma sent official correspondence to Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile about the matter earlier this week.

The department has agreed that an administrator be appointed to assist with a turnaround strategy which will see the residents of the city receiving services and ensure that all irregular financial management is dealt with accordingly.

This despite the DA going to court to challenge the decision.

In the communication, which was sent on Monday, Dlamini-Zuma acknowledged the numerous steps which were taken by the provincial government to attempt to solve the problems of the municipality, which include the leadership battles between political parties.

Earlier this week, Makhura alluded to the fact that he had already received responses from some stakeholders regarding the executive committee’s announcement to place the municipality under administration.

Makhura was speaking to Tshwane community members in the Mawiga area on Wednesday, where he boastfully explained to residents that only the Cogta minister and the national council of provinces could halt the process.

Makhura’s utterances were a response to allegations by the DA claiming that he and Maile had not followed the proper procedures in line with section 139 of the Constitution, and had not even sent notice to council speaker Katlego Mathebe.

The DA went as far as filing an urgent court application on Friday to stop the decision by the Gauteng executive committee to dissolve the council.

In a 56-page affidavit, DA Tshwane leader Randall Williams called on the court to declare the decision invalid, and to order all ANC and EFF councillors to attend and remain in council meetings unless they have a valid reason to be absent.

Council was yet again unable to elect leadership on Tuesday morning as the meeting was only attended by DA councillors, who could not form a quorum.

On the argument of procedure, Williams said the province did not give the city a chance to comment on its plan to dissolve the council.

The affidavit said that the Gauteng government’s decision was procedurally unfair, that it failed to explain how the city was failing to fulfil its constitutional mandate, and that the cited reasons for intervention fell short of constitutional failure.

The document states that because the process failed to give notice of the intention to dissolve council, parties were not given an opportunity to make presentations.

“Therefore, the dissolution decision was not procedurally rational,” read the papers.

Another accusation made was that the decision “was taken for an ulterior political purpose” because dissolution should have been the last resort.

In the affidavit, Williams suggested that an intervention which would place the city under administration and not dissolve the council would have been preferable, noting that the province was quick to act drastically.

When approached for comment, ANC provincial spokesperson Bones Modise told the DA to stop shifting blame and take responsibility for its mess in Tshwane.

“We can’t say we are surprised; we were expecting them to go to court. The DA wants to shift the blame and say it’s the ANC that is destroying the city. They want to make it seem as if its comrade Maile’s way of trying to cling to power when they had been failing to run the metro.

“The DA has nothing to offer the people of Tshwane and they must take responsibility for their actions and stop shifting blame,” said Modise.

The dissolution of the council is set to take effect next week, after which fresh elections will have to be held within 90 days.

ANC and EFF councillors have been adamant about pushing the DA out of power, and that is why it is no surprise that they have welcomed the executive committee’s sections.

The red berets’ MoAfrika Mabogwane was unbothered by the DA’s court bid.

“We are busy preparing for elections. If the DA want to fight then let them fight, but we are getting ready for other things. We won’t even read their papers,” he said.

Queenin Masaubi Political journalist | City Press

+27 11 713 9001 Queenin.Masuabi@citypress.co.za Media Park, 69 Kingsway Road, Auckland Park

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