FTLM’s ordinary council meeting turns into chaos

ANC youth league wants VBS mayors to face the music

Polokwane

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Limpopo is accusing the provincial mother body of failing to take action against the mayors of the municipalities which invested millions of rand in VBS Mutual Bank.

The league’s acting secretary Matome Moremi says the mayors of the affected municipalities must immediately be removed from their positions.

This comes after it was revealed that 10 municipalities in the province illegally invested more than R1 billion in the bank.

Moremi says, “We are concerned at the speed in which the African National Congress (ANC) in the province is moving in terms of attending to the
mayors affected. We’ve seen them throwing the MMs and CFOs under the bus and the mayors are the ones who attended the famous hotel meetings, where this decision of VBS was taken. The mayors must be called to resign before voters resign from voting for the ANC.”

 

 

FTLM’s ordinary council meeting turns into  chaos
APEL 

The Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality ‘s council sitting held at Apel outside Burgersfort collapsed due to disruptions on Tuesday night. The meeting that lasted  for eight hours saw councillors exchanging blows against the security personnel and insulting each other.

Opposition parties, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Democratic Alliance (DA), SADA and members of the South African Municipal
Workers Union (Samwu) were demanding the removal of the mayor and senior officials for their alleged involvement in investing municipal funds in VBS.

The councillors advised speaker Naomi Phala to put the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) report and the VBS matter on top of her agenda.

The MPAC report was presented by chairperson of the committee, N Mphethi. During her presentation she indicated that the VBS situation was badly affecting provision of services in the municipal.
Among the recommendations made by MPAC was that “consequence management be applied to all those who are implicated in the VBS saga.”

After the presentation EFF councillors demanded that the mayor Johannes Phokane resign along with the head of finance.

Speaking during the sitting EFF councillor Kgothatso Mogowane had this to say: “The mayor must go; the head of finance must go. We’re not a faction of the ANC where we are going to please other comrades over the other. We’re fighting corruption here, how are we going to get our money back from VBS?”

Opposition parties were in agreement that after the mayor and head of finance have resigned. They will then suspend the Municipal manager and the acting chief financial officer.  None of the political leaders handed his resignation.

With time running out and the altercations continuing, the speaker of the councillor called off the meeting at about 19:43. There was no ruling made on the VBS and none of the implicated officials had resigned as of October 31. Meanwhile Samwu workers at FTLM have also embarked
on a protest demanding the MM NP Busane and director of corporate affairs Mafori Phasha to be sacked from their positons.  Workers alleged the duo are controlling the municipality like a spaza shop . The protest has disrupted all services at the troubled municipality.

 

Ephraim Mogale suspends  managers invlolved in VBS saga

MARBLE HALL

The council of the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality in Marble Hall has resolved to serve the Municipal Manager and Chief Financial Officer with precautionary suspension for approving the illegal investment of public money with the VBS mutual bank

This brings the number of municipalities in the province which have instituted action against their managers in relation to the VBS saga to four. The Ephraim Mogale Municipal Council held a special sitting on Friday to discuss its R82 million deposit.

The Council of the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality has followed the examples set by the Vhembe District Municipality, the Giyani Local Municipality and the Collins Chabane Local Municipality of instituting action against managers involved in the VBS saga.

Ephraim  Mogale Municipality’s CFO, Kgabo Ramosibi, and Municipal Manager, Monica Mathibela, have been given seven days to respond to letters on why they should not be suspended.  “The resolution says intention to suspend and they will give letter to that senior manager a letter she or he will respond on this matter because you are aware that the municipal manager is not hired by the administration, it is the council. They will write a letter to the municipal manager as an intention to suspend,” says municipal spokesperson is Jan Phasha

South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) Provincial Secretary, Patrick Aphane, says they will develop programmes in all municipalities that have made illegal investments with VBS. “We are going to develop a program and we will meet Cosatu , and in our own provincial structures we will visit those municipalities so that they can do the same things that have been done by all this municipalities that have suspended their Chief financial Officers and municipal managers.”