Johannesburg - The people of Ditsobotla in the North West are again without a mayor. This is despite a new mayor being elected during the recent by-elections in the area.
Itumeleng Elizabeth Lethoko from the Patriotic Alliance has resigned, hardly 24 hours after the council elected her as the new mayor of Ditsobotla Local Municipality.
She resigned on the same day she was elected. The news has been confirmed through a media statement issued by the PA on Tuesday, with the party saying it was in full support of Lethoko’s decision to resign from the position mere hours after she was elected.
It is reported that she wrote to the speaker of the council, Fikile Alfred Jakeni.
"It would be unconscionable of her to have continued in this role following the display of blatant corruption in council today. She could not be complicit with such behaviour nor be asked to answer for it," the statement reads.
She has alluded to a "surprise matter" of appointing an administrator to become a municipal manager as the reason for her resignation without this matter being raised by the coalition party, the ANC.
"At no point did the ANC—your party—raise this important matter with me or the Patriotic Alliance’s president, Gayton McKenzie, who was present all day in the Ditsobotla council for such important coalition discussions," the party said.
With 10 seats in the 39-member council, the EFF is the biggest opposition party in the council. The PA stated that it now understands why the EFF had protested the postponement of the controversial appointment of the municipal manager.
"I must agree that the EFF was correct in protesting against the tabling of this matter since my additional items should have been tabled through an addendum. The manner in which this was performed was duplicitous in the extreme and was clearly intended to sidestep proper council procedures. The public protector will find against this administration if we go about conducting our appointments in such an irregular fashion," Lethoko said.
The ANC was yet to react to this resignation and the accusations made against it on the issue of the municipal manager.
During the by-elections of December 14, 2022, the ANC received 16 seats, while the Patriotic Alliance emerged with two seats.
Fikile Jakeni of the ANC was elected Speaker of the Municipality after receiving 20 votes, while his opponent Letlamoreng Mosiane from the Save Ditsobotla Movement secured just 17 votes.
The people of Ditsobotla in the North West are again without a mayor. This is despite a new mayor being elected during the recent by-elections in the area.
Itumeleng Elizabeth Lethoko from the Patriotic Alliance has resigned, hardly 24 hours after the council elected her as the new mayor of Ditsobotla Local Municipality.
She resigned on the same day she was elected. The news has been confirmed through a media statement issued by the PA on Tuesday, with the party saying it was in full support of Lethoko’s decision to resign from the position mere hours after she was elected.
It is reported that she wrote to the speaker of the council, Fikile Alfred Jakeni.
"It would be unconscionable of her to have continued in this role following the display of blatant corruption in council today. She could not be complicit with such behaviour nor be asked to answer for it," the statement reads.
She has alluded to a "surprise matter" of appointing an administrator to become a municipal manager as the reason for her resignation without this matter being raised by the coalition party, the ANC.
"At no point did the ANC—your party—raise this important matter with me or the Patriotic Alliance’s president, Gayton McKenzie, who was present all day in the Ditsobotla council for such important coalition discussions," the party said.
With 10 seats in the 39-member council, the EFF is the biggest opposition party in the council. The PA stated that it now understands why the EFF had protested the postponement of the controversial appointment of the municipal manager.
"I must agree that the EFF was correct in protesting against the tabling of this matter since my additional items should have been tabled through an addendum. The manner in which this was performed was duplicitous in the extreme and was clearly intended to sidestep proper council procedures. The public protector will find against this administration if we go about conducting our appointments in such an irregular fashion," Lethoko said.
The ANC was yet to react to this resignation and the accusations made against it on the issue of the municipal manager.
During the by-elections of December 14, 2022, the ANC received 16 seats, while the Patriotic Alliance emerged with two seats.
Fikile Jakeni of the ANC was elected Speaker of the Municipality after receiving 20 votes, while his opponent Letlamoreng Mosiane from the Save Ditsobotla Movement secured just 17 votes.
The Star