According to the DA in the council, the municipality is failing to provide adequate services to residents. 

The party’s Moses Mokhele says the state of the municipality is greatly concerning with various positions also remaining vacant. Following the axing of mayor Komane Koalane on Wednesday, the party is calling for an urgent council sitting for the election of the new mayor. 

Koalane was ousted following a motion of no confidence with opposition parties having said he is to blame for the municipality’s financial rut and other issues. The municipality serving the communities of Ficksburg and Senekal, amongst others, recently got under heavy criticism in the Provincial Legislature, with the Chairperson of the Public Accounts and Finance Committee, Vusi Tshabalala, having instructed the municipality and its council to resolve issues pertaining to the position of the Municipal Manager (MM) and that of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

It was revealed before the Legislature's committee in March that the municipality’s CFO, Nicolas Lefa Moletsane, has been appointed as the Acting MM and has been working in both positions. Tshabalala criticised the municipality for this, highlighting that it is “going to cause serious problems for the municipality”.

Meanwhile, the DA highlights that there is a need to elect the new mayor soon and fill all the strategic positions that are vacant. The party says the new mayor could not be elected on Wednesday as ANC members left the chambers and a quorum could not be formed.

“The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Setsoto welcomes the removal of the Executive Mayor, Komane Koalane, after a motion of no confidence tabled by the United Front of Civics (UFC) passed. We as the DA are calling for an urgent council sitting to elect a new mayor. The municipality is currently without a Municipal Manager and Director of Engineering. Other critical positions have not been filled. There is no Mayoral Committee and section 79 and 80 committees can also not sit to hold officials accountable and do their oversight,” said Mokhele.

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