No one can deny that Mayor Masina has steered the municipality to consecutive clean audits since his term in office started.

His reputation as a transparent leader at the forefront of fighting corruption will secure his name in the towns’ annals of history forever.

The ANC came under heavy fire in a special council sitting for the party’s part in Mayor Masina’s resignation from office.

Also read: Mayor Mike Masina tenders formal resignation

The DA’s Palesa Mobango didn’t mince her words when she told ANC councillors “you should all be ashamed of yourselves,” when his resignation came to debate.

Mayor Masina resigned last Wednesday and this week penned his last column “The Mayor says…” in the Middelburg Observer this week.

The column, like many of his accolades, is the only such achievement in the country.

Mayor Masina’s other accolades include:

•An invitation to address the Presidential Local Government Summit in September 2014, the selection by the Department of Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to represent all local municipalities in the continent, and his election by COGTA in 2016 to represent South African municipalities in an international event in Zimbabwe.

Also read: Mayoral Awards

•Yet another mayoral achievement to mention is the formal township establishments in Newtown and Hendrina/Kwazamokuhle to eradicate informal settlements.

•The attraction of foreign investment will also define Mayor Masina’s legacy in terms of economic growth and job creation.

•The establishment of the Twizza plant is just another great example. The mayor’s intervention to unlock processes that led to the building of the e’Mhluzi Mall, to the delight of Mhluzi residents, and his role in launching the Township Economy Development in the next few months, is another of his many success stories.

•The leadership that was provided at crucial times during stakeholder engagement sessions, helped Steve Tshwete to be the most stable municipality in the province, if not the entire country. The Operation Vuka Sisebente (OVS) report attests to that.

•In addition, his partnership with other equally vital stakeholders, like the Department of Education, SANDF, SAPS and the Pastors Forum, augured very well for a well-balanced, stable environment.

Mayor Masina accepted his redeployment with grace. He has been redeployed to the Nkangala District Municipality though he hasn’t received any formal instructions yet.

He, however, has some sound advice for incoming mayor Cllr Tsietsi Tolo: “Congratulations. You inherit well-oiled machinery and I have no doubt that your experience and expertise will take this institution to even greater heights. My special advice to you: Recruitment of suitably qualified personnel must be sacrosanct and corruption must remain enemy number one of the revolution. Please, more importantly, adhere to legislation at all times. I wish you all the best in your deployment”.

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