Ditsobotla mayor resigns just hours after being elected
Patriotic Alliance supports Elizabeth Lethoko, who objected to ANC bid to appoint the administrator as municipal manager
10 January 2023 - 11:04
by Kgaugelo Masweneng
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Lichtenburg town councillors were sworn in on January 9 2023 after by-elections in December. Picture: YUSUF LAHER
The mayor of Ditsobotla municipality in the North West has resigned, just hours after being elected.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) in a statement said it supported Elizabeth Lethoko’s decision to resign.
According to the PA, in her letter to the speaker, the ANC’s Fikile Jakene, Lethoko wrote: “As you well know, following the conclusion of all the items on the council agenda, a surprise matter was tabled — that of appointing the administrator as the municipal manager.
“At no point did the ANC — your party- raise this important matter with me or the PA’s president, Gayton McKenzie, who was present all day in the Ditsobotla council for such important coalition discussions.”
She said she could not be complicit with such behaviour, nor be asked to answer for it.
“I must agree that the EFF was correct in protesting against the tabling of this matter since any additional items should have been tabled through an addendum. The manner in which this was performed was duplicitous in the extreme and was clearly intended to sidestep proper council procedures. The public protector will find against this administration if we go about conducting our appointments in such an irregular fashion.
“My party, the PA, will not be associated with underhanded tactics.”
Lethoko said the current state of the municipality was “a patent disgrace” with bucket toilets everywhere, old women having to carry water on their heads and potholes like “lunar craters”.
“There were indeed issues in the municipality during my previous tenure, but the rate of decline and despair that ensued in subsequent years broke my heart.
“I was looking forward to the opportunity to restore our municipality as a going concern, instead of just being concerned at the direction it is going.” she wrote.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Ditsobotla mayor resigns just hours after being elected
Patriotic Alliance supports Elizabeth Lethoko, who objected to ANC bid to appoint the administrator as municipal manager
The mayor of Ditsobotla municipality in the North West has resigned, just hours after being elected.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) in a statement said it supported Elizabeth Lethoko’s decision to resign.
According to the PA, in her letter to the speaker, the ANC’s Fikile Jakene, Lethoko wrote: “As you well know, following the conclusion of all the items on the council agenda, a surprise matter was tabled — that of appointing the administrator as the municipal manager.
“At no point did the ANC — your party- raise this important matter with me or the PA’s president, Gayton McKenzie, who was present all day in the Ditsobotla council for such important coalition discussions.”
She said she could not be complicit with such behaviour, nor be asked to answer for it.
“I must agree that the EFF was correct in protesting against the tabling of this matter since any additional items should have been tabled through an addendum. The manner in which this was performed was duplicitous in the extreme and was clearly intended to sidestep proper council procedures. The public protector will find against this administration if we go about conducting our appointments in such an irregular fashion.
“My party, the PA, will not be associated with underhanded tactics.”
Lethoko said the current state of the municipality was “a patent disgrace” with bucket toilets everywhere, old women having to carry water on their heads and potholes like “lunar craters”.
“There were indeed issues in the municipality during my previous tenure, but the rate of decline and despair that ensued in subsequent years broke my heart.
“I was looking forward to the opportunity to restore our municipality as a going concern, instead of just being concerned at the direction it is going.” she wrote.
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