Attorney offers olive branch to councillors – “Do right by your voters”
There's an olive branch being extended to councillors by local attorney Andre Brandmuller who says, if councillors come out in support of his urgent application to the Mpumalanga seat of the High Court for an interdict against striking employees, the municipality, the provincial government and, for now themselves, the court may side with them against a call for dissolution.
By filing papers in support of Mr Brandmuller’s urgent application to interdict workers to return to work, stop intimidating willing workers, stop the violence against the public and contractors, and compel the municipality to resume services immediately, Mr Brandmuller’s request for council to be dissolved would become moot.
Mr Brandmuller says the responsible thing the council should have done, was to apply for an interdict against the ongoing strike and labour disputes, independent from the municipality.
“The council may not have the authority to intervene in labour relations, but it has a voice, the voice of the community who trust them to speak up for them,” Mr Brandmuller says.
Political parties have until today to either oppose or support Mr Brandmuller’s application.
If they oppose, their opposing affidavits have to be property filed by tomorrow, after which Mr Brandmuller’s attorneys, Kruger & Bekker, will file answers for the court to weigh.
“Peaceful negotiations to end the stalemate remains the number one solution to the impasse,” Mr Brandmuller says, adding “Nothing is happening, there’s no progress, only regress at a great cost to our community and municipality.”
Earlier, councillors rallied against Mr Brandmuller’s June call for the dissolution of council, agreeing “that council sittings take place, decisions are made and that the council is therefore functioning”.
“But the municipality is not, and it’s the councillors’ main responsibility to ensure service delivery and vigilant oversight, there’s sadly nothing to oversee, and the community remain the only losers,” Mr Brandmuller says.
“If they oppose the urgent application on the basis of one clause calling for the dissolution of council, I would like political parties and councillors to explain to their voters why?” Mr Brandmuller says.
“If that issue becomes moot, with their support, they have nothing to worry about, and actually prove they have their electorates’ backs.”
During a special council sitting on Friday, Cooperative Governance MEC warned council that they will face the full wrath of power available to him in order to restore order, including placing the municipality under administration and council dissolution.
Councillors are in agreement that an appointment of a municipal manager should be made with haste, but “not an outsider who has left two municipalities financially bleeding”.
