VEREENIGING – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Sedibeng District Municipality says it welcomes the successful Motion of No Confidence (MONC) brought against Executive Mayor Cllr Lerato Maloka.

“The Sedibeng District Municipality is finally rid of the ineffective, and problematic Executive Mayor Maloka,” Cllr Sibusiso Dyonase, the DA’s Sedibeng Caucus Leader, said in a statement.

This DA sponsored motion passed with 26 votes in favour of the MONC, and 21 votes against.

Within the next 14 days, another council meeting will be convened and a new mayor will be elected.

In the run-up to this meeting, the DA says it will consider all its options as we continue to act in the best interest of all residents in the Sedibeng District.

According to Dyonase, this MONC was brought last year, following Maloka’s failure to, amongst other things, to implement the financial recovery plan, as was required of her by the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), leaving the municipality’s finances in limbo.

“This, alongside a hefty increase in Fruitless Wasteful and Irregular Expenditure, unfunded budgets and allowing the municipality to reach a point where 75% of its finances is being spent on salaries, severely impacting service delivery, made her exit today a foregone conclusion,” Dyonase said.

“Mayor Maloka failed in her statutory obligations, as well as her moral obligations to the municipality, its employees, and its people. Whilst the municipality was struggling to pay salaries, the mayor felt it prudent to spend more than R550 000.00 on a trip to Germany,” Dyonase says.

“But most shockingly, she refused to use a Mercedes Benz GLB provided to her for an entire year. When she was finally forced to use it by council, the car developed mechanical problems – technicians found that brown sugar had been poured into the engine,” he added.

“We are proud to have contributed to the end of Mayor Maloka’s reign. We will always, wherever we are, put residents’ needs first. Our goal is the prioritisation of the people of Sedibeng. The only way they will be put first, is if an effective government is put in place that will ensure an end to corruption, and work towards the provision of services.”

“Today is a good day for Sedibeng, an ineffective mayor must leave her seat. During her tenure, Mayor Maloka lost the physical mayoral chain, and today, she has finally been relieved of her duties,” Dyonase concluded.