Former Mangaung mayor and opposition party leader of the Afrikan Alliance for Social Democrats (AASD), Papi Mokoena, said a top structure of the metro, which includes Heads of Departments (HODs) and a City Manager will be appointed.

He said they will also have to find a plan for financial recovery. Mokoena said they need to ensure that the metro's expenditure is not out of line and to collect as much revenue as possible.

"We have a lot of clients, including government, including big businesses that can assist in ensuring that this municipality is equipped with positive cash flow within a few months," Mokoena added.

Mokoena was elected unopposed.

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Some ANC members, including the mayoral candidate Gregory Nthatisi, boycotted the council sitting on Friday 14 April 2023.

A total of 53 councillors, including the council speaker Maryke Davies, formed a quorum and according to Davies, this allowed a sitting.

The DA's David Masoeu was also elected as Chief Whip of the Mangaung council. VIDEOGRAPHER: Lucky Nkuyane

The Acting City Manager (ACM), Tebogo Motlashuping, and other officials, including the Head of Departments (HODs) and members of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), declined to attend the sitting due to safety concerns.

This was at least the third attempt to convene and hold a council meeting to elect the mayor, following safety concerns and disruption by irate workers and disgruntled residents. The metro council tried to convene this week but irate workers prevented council members from entering the chambers.

In 2005, the mayor at the time, Mokoena, and 18 others were accused of a total of 259 charges, including theft, fraud, corruption, money laundering and racketeering involving an estimated R130 million. This led to Mokoena's arrest. Not all the accused faced all the charges. The trial in the Bloemfontein High Court followed an investigation by the now-disbanded Scorpions and dragged on from 2006 to 2012.

In 2012, Mokoena and his wife Granny were acquitted of fraud and all other charges.

Other former senior officials, such as the former municipal speaker Zongezile Zumane, former business manager Mzwandile Silwana and Jakes Thithi, a political advisor, were found guilty on some charges related to fraud and money laundering.

Silwana's wife Brigitte, Evodia Kok (Zumane's personal assistant), Laetitia Hoffman (Mokoena's personal assistant), Buyelwa Khethelo, a businesswoman from Rocklands, and two Heidedal businessmen, Keabecoe and Kegomodicoe Lekone, were also found guilty on some charges related to fraud and money laundering, according to Sapa.

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