Sol Plaatje municipal manager's disciplinary hearing to commence on Tuesday

The disciplinary hearing of the municipal manager Serapelo "Thapelo" Matlala is expected to commence on January 13.

The proceedings that will be led by an independent law firm and will be closed to the public.  

Matlala was suspended for a further 90 days, last week after he returned to work on January 5, as his suspension had lapsed on December 17. 

The locks to his offices had to be changed again for the acting municipal manager Busiswe Mgaguli on January 9 after attempts were made to grind open the door when Matlala was unable to enter.

Sol Plaatje executive mayor Martha Bartlett indicated that Matlala was charged "amid an avalanche of corruption allegations made against him". 

The charges emanate from a complaint lodged by the FF+ following a newspaper article that appeared in the Sunday World.

Matlala was served with a suspension letter following a special council meeting that was held on January 8.

Bartlett stated that Matlala would remain on suspension pending the finalisation of the disciplinary proceedings against him.

"Busisiwe Mgaguli will continue to serve as acting municipal manager. Therefore, I would like to assure the public and our esteemed ratepayers that service delivery is on the roll. This we have demonstrated with the absolute commitment displayed in December 2025, with the opening of the Langleg pleasure resort and two community swimming pools, We extend our sincere gratitude to all the officials who ensured service delivery did not come to a halt." 

She added that the sporting match between the South Africa's Women's national cricket team versus Pakistan on February 16 was expected to attract a multitude of visitors to the city.

"Let us embrace the visitors to the city with our usual civility and human compassion. We will once again ensure that the city is clean and that the game is staged successfully," Bartlett said. 

Opposition parties are "flip flopping" says ANC  

ANC Frances Baard regional secretary Unondumiso Buda called for the disciplinary process to be expedited so that the municipality could return its focus to service delivery. 

She pointed out that the investigation should not be seen as a "political witch hunt." 

"This bold and transparent move highlights the commitment of the ANC to  zero tolerance on corruption and a call for a transparent and thorough investigation into the allegations of misconduct, maladministration and possible corruption." 

She indicated that the decision to place Matlala back on suspension last week was not "inconsistent"  with previous resolution to suspend him pending a transparent and independent investigation by a neutral law firm.

"All parties should allow the law to take its course and to let the process to continue unhindered." 

Buda accused opposition parties of "double standards and political twerking"  where they now supported the reinstatement of Matlala.

"Opposition parties are trying to sweep the allegations under the carpet without any investigation, while continuing to shift the goal posts," she said.

Council procedures were flouted

Due to a large number of ANC councillors not attending the special council meeting last week, opposition parties indicated that the motion to suspend Matlala was pushed through without following the necessary procedures.

FF+ Sol Plaatje municipality councillor Dawie Griesel indicated that they were in the process of lodging a formal complaint regarding the failure of the Speaker to convene a special council meeting before Matlala's suspension lapsed on December 18.

"The complete report into the disciplinary investigation was never made available to councillors. A summary of the report was read out to council during the special council meeting." 

He added that councillors were not provided an opportunity to study the contents or to interrogate the report. 

"We were not able to prepare questions and without the necessary information no decision can be taken. No room was allowed for any  debate and councillors were not permitted to vote for the passing of the motion. The handling of matter was unacceptable." 

Criticism over the suspension process

Convener of Women  Waging  War against GBVF, Inequality and Poverty Milly Wolfe criticised the manner in which the suspension was handled.

"Given the seriousness of the charges, why was the matter not concluded in a reasonable time frame? We demand accountability. The process was flawed from the start and we believe that this is an act to deliberately undermine disciplinary processes." 

She pointed out that in preparation for the 2026 Local Government Elections, there were aspirations for political parties to finance their campaigns from the coffers of the municipality. 

The CEO of the Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nocci) Sharon Steyn described the ongoing internal fighting over the municipal manager as "very disturbing" to business and the city.

"Such matters display the lack of trust, transparency and cast doubt on the ability of appointed officials to manage the city in a term of applicable laws and regulations. The situation that Kimberley currently finds itself in, is the result of council not carrying out their duties effectively and timeously." 

She believed that the city could ill afford to pay two municipal managers due to the failure of council and appointed leaders to deal with administrative and disciplinary processes "urgently and decisively".

Speaker encourages the public to attend IDP meetings

The Speaker Dipuo Peters last week stated that she was unable to convene a special council meeting during the festive season as none of the councillors were available.

She added that claims that the furore over Matlala's suspension was for officials to access funds from the water infrastructure upgrade project were "untested".

Peters stated that an independent law firm would lead the disciplinary hearing on Tuesday.

She indicated that a municipal official was entitled to receive a salary while on suspension. 

She encouraged the public to attend as the the Integrated Development Programme (IDP) review for the 2025/2026 financial year meetings that commenced on January 12 in ward 14, 23, 24 and 28. 

The consultations covering all 33 wards will continue until February 2 with the last public participation taking place at the city hall at 10am.

She said the public would be informed of the implementation, completion and possible reprioritisation of projects and the draft budget that will be tabled in council at the end of March.