The ANC accused the DA of trying to sway voters ahead of the local government election in 2026.
Polokwane mayor Makoro John Mpe on Thursday survived a motion of no confidence vote brought by the DA.
This is the latest of several plans to remove Mpe from office amid allegations of corruption, nepotism, cadre deployment and political polarisation.
DA’s request for a secret ballot
The DA, however, accused municipal speaker Wilhelmina Modiba of not allowing the motion to proceed in a “fair and transparent” way.
DA councillor Johan Retters accused Modiba of failing to rule on the DA’s request for a secret ballot before the start of proceedings.
“Instead, the speaker, conspicuously under pressure from ANC leadership, recognised only ANC councillors to participate and denied other political parties the opportunity to debate the motion,” said Retters.
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ANC councillors slam DA
On Thursday, ANC councillors dismissed the motion of no confidence, labelling it a DA plan to sway voters ahead of the municipal polls in 2026.
ANC Peter Mokaba regional secretary, Lesiba Matsemela, was full of praise for Mpe.
“The executive mayor and his team have done a tremendous job in improving Polokwane, particularly on the provision of services to our people. This includes breathtaking road infrastructure, housing infrastructure, fixing of street lights and the municipality’s aggressive plan to make the city and its exuberant surroundings clean and welcoming,” he said.
“We are, however, aware of the water challenge, which, of course, Polokwane is working tirelessly with Lepelle Northern Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation under the tutelage of Minister Pemmy Majodina to fix.”
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Polokwane municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala claimed the DA’s motion received no supporting votes and was dismissed.
“Council noted that the motion lacked substance and did not reflect the clear progress achieved under the current administration,” said Selala.
He added that the mayor has championed development programmes that are reshaping the socio-economic and investment landscape of Polokwane.
DA bemoans water crisis
During a special council sitting on Wednesday, the DA said Polokwane was gripped by a full-blown water crisis.
Retters said communities across the municipality, including Mankweng, Seshego, the inner city and surrounding villages, were experiencing persistent and often prolonged water outages. He added that leaks are unrepaired for weeks, while the city’s infrastructure was also collapsing.
“Many residents rely on water from sporadic water tanker deliveries, which are surrounded by allegations of mismanagement and politicisation. Despite repeated promises from the mayor, no meaningful progress has been made to restore a sustainable and reliable water supply,” said Retters.
He said to exacerbate the water crisis, the municipality is embroiled in a corruption scandal involving more than R700 million in alleged irregular tender awards.
“While the Hawks have launched investigations into this and raided municipal offices, the mayor continues to dismiss the matter as a political smear, offering no transparency or accountability to the people he serves.
“The residents of Polokwane have lost faith in the ANC-led municipality under the leadership of Mayor Mpe. The city is failing on its most basic responsibilities, water, waste and roads, while its leadership is increasingly focused on damage control rather than delivering services,” he said.
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