VEREENIGING.- It seems the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing at the Sedibeng District Municipality (SDM).

While the ANC in Sedibeng has vehemently denied being involved in the reshuffling at the SDM, the SDM Municipal Manager, Motsumi Mathe, recently announced a reshuffling that he said is undertaken by the ANC in its quest for regional intervention to strengthen governance capacity.

Mathe said this process affects all four Sedibeng municipalities (SDM, Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), Midvaal Local Municipality (MLM), and Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM)).

“On January 29, Emfuleni Local Municipality’s 113th Ordinary Council meeting resolved to recall four ANC councillors seconded to the Sedibeng District Municipality, namely M.A. Dondolo, G.R. Tladi, T.M. Khoza, and Y. Moti. These four were replaced by councillors, N.S Phala, M. Sikulula, M.H. Time, and S.C. Zitha from Emfuleni Local Municipality,” Mathe said.

He added that the process then continued after consultations with other affected councillors from MLM and LLM.

“The next step was the recall of one more councillor, seconded from Lesedi Local Municipality, Councillor Archie Mokonane. Then the ANC Regional Executive Committee (REC) decided to expel Councillor Moipone Molikeng and Councillor Lulama Gamede from Sedibeng District Municipality with immediate effect. The two councillors are seconded from Midvaal Local Municipality and Lesedi Local Municipality, and are respectively Speaker of council and a Member of the Mayoral Committee at the district.”

As the Accounting Officer of the District, Mathe said that the ANC then requested him to declare these two vacancies at the district municipal level.

“The municipal manager, as advised by the internal Legal Department, wrote to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) about this expulsion, the expected declaration of vacancies, and the replacements. The local IEC decided to refer this matter to their Legal Department at the Provincial level, thus responding to SDM in due course. The Office of the Accounting Officer is still awaiting that guiding response from the IEC to affect the declaration of vacancies,” Mathe ended.

Meanwhile, when asked if there is a lack of communication between the party and the SDM Executive Mayor regarding the changes, ANC Sedibeng spokesperson, Mphikeleli ‘Fire’ Msibi, said that reshuffling is announced by the Executive Mayor.

“This is misleading. Reshuffling is done by the Executive Mayor as it is her prerogative. It is not about the lack of communication. It is about protocol.”