In a surprising turn of events, Councillor Danny Thupane resigned as the Executive Mayor of Mogale City Local Municipality before a motion of no confidence could be tabled against him. The motion was set to be discussed during the 10th ordinary council meeting. It seems that Thupane made a chess move by resigning, putting him ahead of the motion which was ultimately not pursued. The resignation was welcomed by the speaker. The speaker announced that the matter will be dealt with administratively and discussed on the next council meeting.
The same meeting found itself undergoing two more motions brought forward by the Democratic Alliance (DA) members. The motions were targeted at the Speaker, Mr Lucky Sele and Chief Whip Ms Tsholofelo Ramaisa of the council.
The DA expressed their loss of confidence for the Speaker who they say demonstrated impartiality. The motion stated that “The speaker lacks the integrity to preside over Council, subverts councillors and the Rules of Orders, and disregards legislation in the interest of political arrangement, and shielding the Executive from accountability.”
On the motion of the Chief Whip, the DA stated that Cllr Ramaisa has had 329 days on the position but failed to execute the envisioned and legislated functions of a municipal council whip. “Cllr Ramaisa is elected as a full-time councillor, and remunerated according, yet lackadaisical work ethic and lacklustre diligence, highlights that Cllr Ramaisa has miserably failed council and more importantly the residents of Mogale City Local Municipality.”
The motions didn’t produce favourable results for the DA since the numbers were against them. Only the Freedom Front Plus were in favour of the motion. While a significant opposition came from the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM). The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) chose to abstain from voting on either motion.
Tyrone Gray, former Executive Mayor of Mogale City, expressed his disappointment with the outcome. “The EFF and ANC have colluded to protect one another. While we welcome the resignation of the Executive Mayor, as he did very little, we do not expect significant changes in service delivery. The puppet may be gone, but the puppeteers are still running the show. We will continue our fight to hold the executive accountable,” Gray stated.
This development raises questions about the direction of Mogale City’s governance and the anticipated impact on service delivery, as residents await further decisions from the council.
The former mayor played it safe to avoid embarrassment of being out stead by the motion and opted to resign.