COSATU NW welcomes removal of officials in Madibeng municipality

21 January 2014

The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West welcomes the decision of the ANC to remove the mayor, the speaker and the chief whip at Madibeng Municipality.

COSATU North West believes that this action could have taken place early last year when it was found that there are acts of incapacity in the municipality.

COSATU, however is concerned about the new incumbents, who come from the same council which has been failing to run the municipality and deliver the services to the people.

We are disappointed that the team that has been appointed to act comes from the same team that failed the municipality including being at the fore front to disrupt the implementation of the ministerial task team report.

We are also disappointed that our own ANC provincial leadership convened the ANC subcommittee dealing with deployment today after they have taken decisions, the question, is why call the deployment committee when you know that you have a position to implement.

We are called in meetings to rubber step the ANC position of factions, it is clear that the current people who are appointed in those positions are deployed to stop the implementation of the report as did previously.

One of the person, who was rejected by communities during the memorial service , he is now the speaker, is a clear picture that our provincial leaders do not care about the four lives that we lost due to the conduct of some of the politicians and some of officials from that municipality.

We want to be on record as the federation that we did not agree with those names, we are very clear that all the MMC's who have been part of the council must all go and new leadership with clean record to take over the municipality and implement the peoples movement and government resolutions.

It must be on record that we are busy mobilizing the workers including the communities as we started today to fight against any corrupt activities that have taken the lives of our poor communities and we will make sure that we do not lose other lives.

We have lost four lives due to none implementation of the report , which has to expose many people including those who are in the report.

As COSATU NW, we believe that the municipality should be placed under section 139 c where a new administrator will be appointed until a new council is elected as the current council have failed the people of Madibeng.

Jointly with SAMWU and SANCO agreed that we respect the live of the late Enoch and the rest of others who were buried over the weekend, allow the family to burry Cde Enoch over the weekend and we will start our program of action, the municipality must pay those lives.

Our position still remains, deal with the implementation of the report first and do the new council team after you have done the first part of critical issue.

We want repeat, we are ready to be killed as Moss including our four leaders were killed last week.

COSATU NW calls on the national and provincial government to be decisive when coming to the issues which are affecting Madibeng municipality.

Statement issued by Solly Phetoe COSATU North West Provincial secretary, January 22 2014

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