LETTER: Why is it so easy to change mayors?
With Mogale City having revealed its new mayor recently, a famous author and resident is of the view that municipalities engaged in coalition governments are changing mayors like diapers, especially in Gauteng.
• Thabile Mange writes:
In the 2016 municipal elections, we were introduced to the phenomenon of coalition government in South Africa. Other countries such as Germany have been doing the coalition business for a long time – and it’s working for them.
The pertinent question is: Are coalition governments working in South Africa, especially at the local government level? The answer is a big no! Municipalities engaged in coalition governments are changing mayors like diapers, especially in Gauteng. No offence.
A few months ago, the City of Johannesburg removed Kabelo Gwamanda as mayor and put ANC’s Dada Morero in the top position. This is Morero’s second stint as Joburg mayor, though the first was very short. Tshwane followed by outvoting Cilliers Brink and installed a new mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya.
In Mogale City, there have been murmurs that Councillor Danny Thupane was on his way out. Two weeks ago, Thupane, who succeeded DA’s Tyrone Gray, resigned as mayor a day before the scheduled meeting to outvote him. He was the only ATM member in the executive – and the only ATM councillor in Mogale City.
The new mayor of Mogale City is Councillor Lucky Sele. I have interviewed Councillor Sele before, when he was the Council Speaker. He is young, educated, ambitious, open-minded and articulate. In addition, he is also a political animal: He knows nothing but politics.
If truth be told, Councillor Sele is facing a mammoth task. Mogale City is facing several challenges. Rates and taxes are bloody expensive, if not crazy, especially in Krugersdorp. Yet service delivery is slow. And residents no longer have faith in the political system.
Interestingly, all the above-mentioned municipalities are having their third mayors before the end of their five-year term. This is a recipe for instability and lack of service delivery. These newly elected administrations don’t have enough time and budget to deliver the necessary services to their respective constituencies.
Lastly, I’m worried about the speed with which these municipalities have changed mayors. Why is it so easy to get rid of mayors? I think some measures need to be put in place to avert this situation from happening again.
Otherwise, this will continue perpetually.
