Tsokolibane and the ANC Chief Whip “suspended” Municipal Manager Lucky Leseane – clearly illegal as subsequent events confirmed. That Tsokolibane and the Chief Whip were acting as willing pawns for the EFF – seems to have escaped both these Tammany Hall politicians and the ANC councillors who “voted” for the suspension resolution. At least they demonstrated exactly what is wrong with South Africa’s entire electoral system – the party machinery decides how councillors vote and voters vote for a party not individual councillors, who are mere window-dressing in search of paying jobs – and to hell with ratepayers.

The EFF has every reason to even further degrade the ELM administration and the success that Leseane is having in cleaning up corrupt patronage networks from his predecessor Oupa Nkoane’s time is clearly unnerving many. So the factional empire headed by Tsokolibane struck back – and what a spectacular political own-goal it was! The public, organised businesses and social media rushed to support Leseane and the Executive Mayor was left to formally conclude there was no basis to legally suspend Leseane. But Tsokolibane’s political circus did not end there – at last week’s council meeting she made much of her Speaker’s oversight role over the ELM administration – but conveniently forgot that oversight is there to prevent maladministration and corruption, not merely recognise it after the fact. Tsokolibane’s oversight role was clearly overlooked by her when close ally Oupa Nkoane last year ended ELM’s smart meter programme without any contingency planning, costing the council scores of millions in lost revenue. Last week the Johannesburg High Court awarded BXCSA – the smart meter company R492 million in various costs and outstanding payments. So, Madame Speaker, get walking in those boots of yours – before you trample your own party even further into the dust! – guest writer Craig Kotze