Municipal spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, was responding to allegations that the Metro’s council has been rendered useless due to constant squabbles among council members.

A councillor, who spoke to OFM News on the condition of anonymity, labelled the Metro as “toxic”.

For years the Metro’s council has faced backlash from community-based pressure groups and opposition parties in council.

The councillor tells OFM News the council is failing its citizens, adding that no decisions are being made in that arena, and that it’s being used for political grandstanding.

“Whereas the council in the previous term only had four parties to deal with and two sets of views, it has multiple parties each trying to outshine the other. This is made worse by the split in the ANC caucus. Council is a toxic circus,” the councillor adds.

OFM News previously reported that the metro, which is now under the national government’s control, has had four different acting city managers since Sello More’s removal, with the latest being Tebogo Motlashuping.

The municipality recently found itself in the spotlight for payment delays of employees, yet again.

Motlashuping, however, has given the assurance that the matter will be investigated and those responsible will find themselves in hot water.

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National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, previously described the Metro as a “messed up” municipality.

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Addressing residents hailing from different parts of the municipality - including Wepener, Dewetsdorp, and Soutpan among others - she said the national government would be taking over the running of the municipality.

OFM News