But no official confirmation on whether ELM CFO Andile Dyakala – who has numerous personal conduct and professional investigations against him including a court protection order for gender-based abuse of a female acting Mayor- will also be suspended has been received.

The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) has demanded that the top structure of ELM be stabilised or removed as a barrier to service delivery.

This week GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger remained adamant that Dyakala also be suspended for gross negligence and gross misconduct – but also for extreme incompetence in handling both Rand Water and Eskom bulk services crises.

Leseane confirmed to Vaalweekblad on Monday he had received the letter last week and that he intended to respond in good time and when able to do so due to a bereavement in his family.

It is also understood from several sources that the official letter also indicated Leseane is under investigation and that his continued presence at work could negatively affect these.

But insiders said allegations against Leseane were no different from those made in a previous illegal attempt to suspend him last year and in which the Labour Court ruled in his favour.

Kritzinger said ELM had entered a new phase of re-purposing and that a new top management approach and structure – even if interim – was vital to restore even a minimum of service delivery.

“We urge Executive Mayor Gift Moerane to also establish his Mayoral Business Forum which he has promised to do. Involving organised business and civil society in restoring service delivery is crucial for sustainability.

Kritzinger said it was also important that failed politicians and their parties should not use officials as sacrificial lambs just because an election was on the cards for October 2021.

“ELM’s service delivery crisis has shown two things – just how incompetent and corrupt officials can be but also how politics and politicians from all sides are bankrupt and have failed the people by not preventing the slide to the present disaster situation,” said Kritzinger.

“Politicians now scrambled to pretend they could make a difference and were treating ratepayers and communities like voting fodder, whereas the business community had sweated blood and money to make a difference in service delivery every day, not just for election day,” Kritzinger concluded.