Metro still leaderless, residents stranded
“I believe the provincial government should step in to protect the residents.”
Political unrest in the Tshwane metro is delaying the passage of an adjustment budget, according to political expert Dr Levy Ndou.
The second attempt to elect a mayor on Wednesday was unsuccessful when the speaker postponed the special council meeting until further notice to seek legal opinion over Cope councillor, Thabang Sefanyetso.
Ndou said the metro is on “autopilot” running out of time to elect a mayor and approve the adjusted budget for various service delivery projects before March 31.
The Tshwane council was supposed to approve the budget on February 23, but this was postponed because of the political turmoil that followed the resignation of former mayor Randall Williams.
Ndou argued that the delays in electing a new mayor might have a negative impact on service delivery.
“Political leadership is necessary for important decisions to be made.
What is currently happening in Tshwane is worrying because the budget for various service delivery projects cannot be discussed and services cannot be delivered to the residents.
Nothing moves, and nothing can be approved leaving residents stranded.”
Ndou said the absence of a mayor means there’s no mayoral committee.
“Without MMCs, the ship is stuck and various portfolios are also stuck.”
Ndou said the adjournment of council on Wednesday could potentially lead to the municipality being placed under provincial administration.
“The provincial government might intervene as a way to save the residents from a collapsing city. There isn’t a mayor here so the municipality’s work has stalled for about a month at this point.
I believe that the provincial government should step in to protect residents from the turmoil for this reason alone,” he said.
Ndou said that the political instability and chaos in the city are clear indications that politicians only care about positions and access to resources.
“The chaos has placed residents in dark shadows, disrupting their basic rights which is service delivery.
The delays and fights show that politicians would do anything for power. They are discussing who should hold which position instead of how to uplift and better the lives of our residents.”
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