The workers at the Matjhabeng Local Municipality have, in recent weeks, shed light on these issues and allegations during their protests. This is according to Kgauhelo Mnqibisa, local secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) in Welkom, who said that Ngangelizwe will be asked to account for the issues raised at the troubled municipality in Welkom in a memorandum of grievances the union will hand over to the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in the province, Oupa Khoabane. Ngangelizwe is also expected to be present. OFM News earlier reported that this memorandum is expected to be handed over to the two provincial leaders at a march organised by the unions - SACP and Cosatu - which took place in Welkom earlier this morning in solidarity with disgruntled workers at the Matjhabeng Local Municipality.

The Lejweleputswa District Municipality is home to five local municipalities, among others the Matjhabeng Local Municipality. Mnqibisa said that as the mayor of the municipality that presides over Matjhabeng, Ngangelizwe should have intervened earlier on and this might have prevented matters from escalating to reach the point they are at now. Meanwhile, spokesperson at the provincial Cogta Department, Ntai Mokhitli, told OFM News that a team was introduced on Wednesday to the municipal management at the Matjhabeng Local Municipality. This team has been sent to investigate allegations of maladministration and other cases in line with Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act.

 Mokhitli said that he could not provide more information on how long the investigation into these allegations is set to take as well as when a report on these matters could be expected. He further stated that at this point, it remains unknown whether or not Section 139 of the same act would be implemented. This section grants the provincial executive board powers to intervene when a municipality cannot or does not fulfill an executive obligation in terms of the Constitution. These powers include the suspension and dissolution of municipal councils found to not have lived up to its legal municipal obligations.

OFM News