POLITICS

Mayor dodges motion of no confidence meeting – DA

Party says Kgatelopele Mayor has vanished from the council buildings and has been seen trying to gain support from community

DA demands MONC meeting from Kgatelopele mayor

13 September 2017

The Democratic Alliance will formally table a motion of no confidence in the mayor of the Kgatelopele Local Municipality, Norman Prince. This comes after Mr. Prince has failed to accede to the councillors’ request to convene a council meeting to discuss a motion of no confidence in the mayor.

All of the councillors in Kgatelopele have requested this meeting and in terms of section 29(1) of the Municipal Structures Act, the mayor is obligated to convene the meeting. Mr. Prince has chosen instead to send a warning letter to one of the councillors to withdraw the request for a meeting.

Mr. Prince has since vanished from the council buildings and has been seen moving around the community trying to gain support from community members, in the form of a petition to prevent the motion of no confidence. As he hasn’t responded to previous grievances and complaints voiced by the community to this date, it is disingenuous for him to now want the community’s support.

It is clear that he is acting to protect his own interests and not the interests of the public who elected him to serve. Some of his questionable behaviour over the past months include:

- With the municipal manager, he has unlawfully increased the amount of the oxidation pond tender from R28 million to R55 million;

- He is in unlawful occupation of a municipal house. While Mr. Prince has said that SAPS and the Provincial Commissioner advised him to occupy this house, SAPS and the Provincial Commissioner subsequently denied giving such advice;

- Mr. Prince has also unlawfully appointed friends and cronies in the municipality; and

- The IDP and budget of the municipality was not adopted by the municipality, due to failure of Mr. Prince and the municipal manager to follow proper procedures.

It is clear that the mayor has brought the name of the municipality in disrepute and that service delivery suffers under his administration. The Democratic Alliance cannot support such antics.

Issued by Boitumelo BabusengDA Constituency Head for Lohatlha, 13 September 2017