'Time for Hollywood politics to end'

Update

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The ANC in Bitou has called for the stabilisation of the municipality after several weeks of political drama in the usually peaceful town.

The upheaval follows in the wake of a vote of no confidence in Bitou's speaker and deputy mayor; the deterioration of a coalition government; criminal complaints against, among others, the town's mayor over alleged siphoning of municipal funds; and allegations of illegal council meetings and appointments.

Bitou ANC chief whip Phakie Mbali said the party has now called on its "deployees" to stabilise the Bitou administration by, among others, "looking at the matter of the suspended municipal manager Thabo Ndlovu".

'Maliciously suspended'
He added that the party believes Ndlovu had been "maliciously suspended" in December last year, just a month after the DA took control of the municipality.

Following this call a special council meeting was held on May 14, 2018 and the suspension lifted. "He [Ndlovu] is back at work. The time for Hollywood must come to an end," Mbali said.

After the local government election in 2016, the DA won six seats with 49% of the votes, the ANC six seats with 41% and the AUF a single seat with 5%. The latter formed a coalition with the ANC to govern Bitou, but in May 2017 this coalition was ended and a new one formed between the AUF and DA. A year later the coalition has also soured and the AUF and ANC seem to have now rekindled their relationship.

"The unlawful suspension of Ndlovu was conducted as a witch hunt against black professionals by the DA. The ANC was not surprised by the act of the DA since they never approved his appointment, only for the MEC [of local government] to make a U-turn (and conclude) that due process on his appointment was followed," Mbali said.

'Frivolous charges'
He added that the ANC/AUF government should not continue to waste public money on "frivolous charges that stand no chance to succeed".

"We call on council to conclude the appointment of the head of department for community service which has been vacant for over a year. We believe that the ANC/AUF government is moving in the right direction in bringing certainty and stability in the administration."

He also called on the "ANC/AUF government to instil discipline and promote public service that is governed by Batho Pele (people first) principles".

"We call on the ANC/AUF government to promote accountability, something the DA failed to do by making sure all accountability structures are put in place and that municipal public account committee is chaired by the opposition as we can not be the referee and the player like the DA did during its time in office."

Mbali further said that to have a responsive government they called on ANC/AUF government to establish Section 80 committees to support the functions of the mayor which were dissolved by the DA when it took over. "We believe that Bitou is probably the only municipality in this province that does not have Section 80 committees. Once again the ANC calls on leadership of council to promote good governance free of corruption."

*The Bitou Municipality has assured residents that service delivery has continued unhampered despite the political drama in Plettenberg Bay over the past few weeks.

Municipal spokesperson Manfred van Rooyen said the office of the municipal manager assures residents that service delivery has continued unhampered and would continue to do so. "The municipality daily fulfils its constitutional and legal mandate to provide basic services to the citizens of Bitou Municipality," Van Rooyen said.

He added that the cost implications for taxpayers, of the latest in Bitou's political saga, would be minimised. This relates to a court application by the DA to declare a special council meeting – during which a successful vote of no confidence was brought against two of the party's councillors – illegal.

"Bitou Municipality has now learnt that the DA has withdrawn their application on May 7, 2018. The municipality, as the first respondent in this matter, notes the withdrawal of the case and welcomes the fact that the DA as applicants in the matter, has tendered taxed costs.

"Given this undertaking the cost implications … will be minimised."

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