Lekwa mayor appoints new MMCs
In the past month, the future of Lekwa Mayor Delani Loius Thabethe looked uncertain as the DA brought a motion of no confidence against him, which saw Thabethe out of office as mayor. Thabethe had been in the political wilderness since October 31 and tried to do his duties as mayor. However, political disagreements in
In the past month, the future of Lekwa Mayor Delani Loius Thabethe looked uncertain as the DA brought a motion of no confidence against him, which saw Thabethe out of office as mayor.
Thabethe had been in the political wilderness since October 31 and tried to do his duties as mayor.
However, political disagreements in council hampered him, which saw the Lekwa Municipality as a hung municipality because it had no mayor nor members of the mayoral council, who left with the mayor.
Thabethe came back to power as mayor on November 16 after voting in council, where he won against ANC Aubrey Maboa after Thabethe garnered 10 votes while Maboa got seven.
In a statement, Thabethe said: “I wholeheartedly welcome the election. I must continue rebuilding Lekwa Local Municipality and ensure people receive quality services,” said Thabethe.
He said when his position became vacant, so too were the positions of the MMC.
“When the position of the executive mayor became vacant, so did the mayoral committee because the executive mayor appointed them.
“Now, to ensure we continue with the strong focus on service delivery, in terms of Section 60 (a) of the Municipal Structures Act, I duly appoint the following councillors to serve as members of the mayoral committee in the following portfolios,” said Thabethe.
Sipho Majozi is the MMC for Technical Services, Thabo Sebiloane is the MMC for Planning and Economic Development, Phindile Mahlaba is the MMC for Corporate Services, and Seipati Modise is the MMC for Community Services. Thabethe said he would continue where he left off before his ousting.
“I believe this will assist in the continuity of the programmes we were already implementing because we strive to provide our communities with quality services,” said Thabethe.
He said he wishes the new MMCs the best.
“This team has shown its capability to fulfil the task at hand, and they are ready to continue from where they left off. I wish them the best with their responsibilities as MMCs,” added Thabethe.
The Lekwa Community Forum (LCF) welcomed Thabethe’s re-election.
“The municipality offices were without a political head for two weeks, and this has set back service delivery since areas with challenges did not know who to report to.
“Other community members insisted the MMC, who was removed with the mayor, supported the community to show that they are dedicated servants of the community and the MMC attended to those challenges,” said LCF spokesperson Sello Tsotetsi.
He said the re-election of Thabethe is a chance to speed up challenges in the municipality.
“The re-election of Thabethe as mayor means LCF gets an opportunity to accelerate service delivery, prioritising the community’s basic needs and ensuring that the commitment given to the community on service delivery is now visible,” added Tsotetsi.
He said the people of Lekwa need to unite to save the municipality.
“The past two weeks showed that, as people of Lekwa, we need to unite to save the municipality and resuscitate this once glorious town of economic activity and hope.
“This has shown that we need to improve our communication and be able to show our achievements as well as outline our challenges and shortcomings.
“We want to recommit ourselves and our deployees to speed up service delivery and address the development of the municipality as a matter of urgency,” concluded Tsotetsi.
