‘Obsessed’ Maile’s Tshwane council ruling appeal ‘a waste of time’

Gauteng cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Lebogang Maile was obsessed with unseating the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane and heading back to the courts to fight for the capital city was a waste of time, said a political analyst.

Maile announced yesterday he would be heading to the Constitutional Court to appeal the ruling by the High Court in Pretoria last week, which overturned the provincial government’s decision to place Tshwane under administration.

This after Maile and Gauteng Premier David Makhura had dissolved the Tshwane council in March, saying the city was at a political impasse and failed to deliver services.

The high court, however, ordered last week that the dissolved council resume and that the team of administrators vacate the city by the end of the week.

But according to Maile, the high court misinterpreted the constitution’s Section 139, which was the base for the province to dissolve the municipal council.

“The high court judgment has created more confusion as opposed to providing greater clarity on the dynamic interplay between provincial and local government.

“As a result, we feel it is important that a higher court, such as the Constitutional Court, clarify this once and for all, in a precedent-setting [and] binding manner,” he said.

Political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo said the MEC and Makhura should have found other ways of intervention by finding out how Tshwane could be assisted in improving its performance.

“I think what the court is saying is that it was not in his [Maile’s] thinking to assist the municipality to perform,” he said.

Maile had been obsessed with unseating the DA from the metro. Unfortunately, he did not seem to be winning.

“He is wasting his time. But supposing he wins, in the court of public opinion, this will still linger on and it is damaging to the ANC,” said Teffo.

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