GMM mayor and speaker survive motions to remove them

The Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) executive mayor Nhlakanipho Zuma and the council speaker Fikile Magagamela survived motions of no confidence to remove them from office during the first ordinary council meeting on January 30.

This drama unfolded in the municipal council chamber in Secunda while members of the South African Communist Party and African National Congress were picketing outside the council chamber to defend the mayor.

When the council meeting resumed, the mayor’s motion was first to be debated in the council.

The municipal manager, Elliot Maseko, presented the motion to the council and the ANC councillors rejected the motion while the DA wanted the motion to stand.

After a long argument between the ANC and the DA councillors, the DA proposed that voting to remove the mayor had to be conducted through a secret ballot, which was also rejected by the ANC councillors.

Magagamela then ruled because of descending views on how voting should be conducted on the motion, councillors had to vote on how to proceed.

The DA collected 22 votes, while the EFF councillors abstained.

Magagamela then ruled the DA could not secure the majority votes, and voting would, therefore, continue with a show of hands.

The DA again lost by 22 votes to remove Zuma as mayor. The ANC pulled a majority of 27 votes.

The DA accused Zuma of failing to show leadership and rise above factionalism when it mattered the most.

The party said Zuma turned GMM into the worst-performing municipality in the province.

They claim that over the years, Zuma has avoided critical service delivery questions submitted by the DA and other political parties, and through IDP engagements, residents have also raised concerns with the municipality’s water supply.

The party said all this fell on deaf ears as the mayor failed to take meaningful action to address the concerns raised by the DA, residents and other political parties.

The DA also claimed Zuma failed to provide accountability and direction when residents were in the grips of a serious water crisis last year, which is an indication of the mayor’s unwillingness to listen to the needs of the community.

According to the opposition, some issues on which Zuma turned a blind eye were the alleged missing R3m meant for theatre upgrades, and the municipality spending R160 000 to upgrade the driving licenses of four employees.

The DA said the senior managers’ salaries are not compliant with the remuneration framework and the municipality was misleading residents about the cause of water shortages.

The municipality’s increasing Eskom debt, which sits at over R5b, is another burning issue. The DA claims the executive mayor’s relaxed approach in dealing with these issues and other matters has eroded trust and confidence in his ability to lead effectively.

The second motion from the EFF to remove the council speaker fell away because the EFF councillor, Tracey Seimela, who brought the motion to the council, was unavailable.