SASOLBURG – South Africa’s ruthless coalition politics, which many political analysts have said would be the future of politics in the country for the foreseeable future, have claimed another scalp.
This time, the victim is the Executive Mayor of the Metsimaholo Local Municipality, Councillor Jeff Zwane, who, on Friday 6 October 2023 was unceremoniously ousted from office for the second time in a matter of months.
The decision came during a special council sitting, marked by a motion of no confidence and the subsequent election of Jack Malindi as the new mayor.
The motion of no confidence, which led to Mayor Zwane’s ousting, was initiated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and garnered support from 22 councillors.
However, 12 councillors opposed the motion, reflecting the complex political landscape in the municipality.
During the secret ballot voting process, eight ballot papers were deemed spoiled.
Jack Malindi, a member of the African Independent party, was elected as the new mayor through a show of hands during the same council session.
The removal of Mayor Zwane and the political upheaval in Metsimaholo Municipality have drawn strong reactions from various political parties. Democratic Alliance’s Free State Leader, Roy Jankielsohn, expressed his concern, labeling it a sad day for the residents.
Jankielsohn highlighted the DA’s achievements during its tenure in Metsimaholo, despite facing bureaucratic challenges and opposition from the ANC cadre-based administration. Some of the key accomplishments include:
- Instituting legal action to prevent unlawful payments of tens of millions of rands to a developer, supported by the ANC and EFF in Council.
- Opposing the unlawful suspensions of senior officials who tried to prevent the aforementioned payments.
- Passing a service-delivery-oriented budget, addressing municipal debt to Eskom, and engaging with community organizations to identify and rectify service-delivery issues.
- Metsimaholo is the only local municipality in the Free State on a path to recovery with healthy finances.
- Initiating investigations into criminal activities by the previous ANC-run administration.
Jankielsohn voiced his concerns about the motives behind the removal, stating, “Metsimaholo is being targeted by the ANC and EFF, not only to cover up previous plundering but also to facilitate more plundering to fund 2024 election campaigns. The threat of an ANC and EFF alliance, using candidates from smaller parties as a cover for this, is a real threat at national and provincial spheres of government in 2024.”
He emphasized the importance of voters making informed decisions, stating, “Voters must ensure that they are registered to vote for the only viable alternative to the ANC and EFF doomsday pact.” Jankielsohn further encouraged voters to consider the DA’s track record in job creation and crime prevention as a compelling reason to support their party.
