Kgotso Khumalo was re-elected as the executive mayor of Ventersdorp/Tlokwe (Municipality 405) during the inauguration of councillors’ meeting on Wednesday.
During his swearing in, he promised to deal with maladministration and laziness and to root out corruption and hold officials accountable at all times.
Khumalo also committed to clean governance and speeding up service delivery, especially basic services. “Local government is at the coalface of service delivery and our people depend on us to change their lives we dare not disappoint them,” he said.
“Sewage is a problem and the roads are bad. We will pump more money into the wards and we will cut on lunches so we can spend the money on our people.
“Let’s go out there and pull up our socks for the benefit of the Ventersdorp and Tlokwe communities,” he urged.
The mayor also touched on the negatives that the municipality has faced in the past.
“We have come a long way. We were different from the rest. Our by-elections were postponed and there have been many court cases. We believe this is now a closed chapter and we must move forward.
“We have a lot of work ahead as a council and I have the future of the municipality in mind. I’m looking forward to working with all political parties.”
Alderman Chris Landsberg from the DA said, while Wednesday’s council meeting was full of humour, there are still serious challenges in our communities. “The next five years could either be enjoyable or a nightmare for you, as the mayor.
If we do not tackle the wrongs in the municipality, it will be a nightmare. People of our city will have every right to protest. We are offering you our assistance and cooperation. We want the municipality to be run according to the book. If anyone has ideas of corruption, we will have to hunt them down and get them into jail.”
Independents’ David Kham congratulated the new mayor for beating him by two votes. “This is democracy, in essence, and how we test democracy. We are here to work. Our bags are full and ready. I am tempted to start a council meeting,” he joked.
The Freedom Front Plus’s Fanie du Toit also congratulated the mayor and said he wants the municipality to root out corruption and employ people on the basis of merit.
The new speaker of the council is Elias Mogoeemang, who replaces Barei Segotso-Mosiane after she was appointed as the executive mayor of Dr Kenneth Kaunda District. The new council single whip is Ms Dinah Mpho Matsapola from Ventersdorp, who takes over from Thabo Mosiane.
On the issue of the new name for the municipality, Khumalo said the council would soon start the process of engaging stakeholders with a view to finding a name that everyone can identify with.
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