Chaos at Sol Plaatje: Council collapses as opposition walks out

A TENSE special council meeting collapsed this week when opposition councillors walked out after refusing to recognise Busisiwe Mgaguli as the acting Sol Plaatje municipal manager.

Members of the public were once again locked out of the gallery, and the doors remained closed until the meeting ended on Wednesday afternoon.

The Public Protector’s Northern Cape representative, Mlungisi Khanya, this week confirmed that they were investigating Mgaguli’s appointment at the municipality.

“The matter is at the initial stages of investigation to determine the veracity of the allegations as well as whether there is a case to answer for the municipal council. Since this is a matter involving allegations of conduct failure on the part of an organ of state, such investigations normally take up to 24 months to investigate and finalise,” Khanya said.

The complaint, lodged by Kagisho Boyce Makodi from the Kimberley Action Group, requested the Public Protector to investigate and review the secondment in light of Mgaguli’s fraud conviction relating to false subsistence and travel claims.

Cope acting national chairperson Pakes Dikgetsi has also requested intervention from the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Velenkosini Hlabisa, to place Sol Plaatje Municipality under administration in order to restore stability and good governance.

He also queried Mgaguli’s fitness to hold office, as well as alleged political interference and the unlawful suspension of the municipal manager.

The Cogta spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Opposition refuse to be dragged into more legal battles

Opposition councillors pointed out that an acting municipal manager could not be appointed while there was a sitting municipal manager.

“We were not allowed to vote for or against the appointment, and we could not allow another unprocedural meeting to continue. There were more opposition councillors due to the absence of seven ANC councillors. We cannot allow council to be dragged into more legal disputes,” they said.

They added that council was not consulted when the mayor and Speaker decided to appeal the court’s decision that found municipal manager Thapelo Matlala’s suspension to be null and void.

“We demanded clarity on what basis the matter was being appealed. Going to court has cost implications, and who is going to pay for the legal expenses?”

Settlement offer rejected

This comes as negotiations with municipal manager Thapelo Matlala over a possible settlement reached a dead end this week.

While the municipality dismissed it as “rumours”, Matlala said he was prepared to leave if the municipality paid him the remainder of his contract, which is believed to amount to around R3 million.

He has rejected an offer of a nine-month severance package.

“I am not hell-bent on staying on as the municipal manager. I have already been approached by other organs of local government for my skills and knowledge. I came to Kimberley to serve my people. I would like to see the Bulk Facility for Infrastructure through to completion,” Matlala said.

Another urgent court application has been lodged to enforce the court order granted on January 16 to allow him to return to work.

Speaker says opposition ‘out of order’

Speaker Dipuo Peters expressed her extreme disappointment in the behaviour of opposition councillors.

“It is illegal to walk out of a council meeting. The mayor was not in attendance to answer on what grounds the appeal was filed; it is a matter before court,” she said.

Peters indicated that they were not able to table the audit outcomes or the 2025 mid-term and quarterly budgets when councillors left the meeting.

“Officials from the Auditor-General were left to sit outside. It will be a sad day if we have to surrender funds intended to improve service delivery and complete projects back to National Treasury. Councillors are being attacked for lack of service delivery, while there is no consequence management for officials. The establishment of a disciplinary board was also on the agenda. The budget must be tabled before January 25.”

Another special council meeting has been convened for Friday, January 23, at noon.

Fake messages, ‘artificial intelligence’ and denials

Meanwhile, the ANC this week swiftly moved to dismiss a “fake leaked” WhatsApp conversation on the ANC provincial executive committee group.

In an exchange from ANC provincial secretary Deshi Ngxanga, it was noted that Matlala should return to office in line with the court judgment made on January 16, where the provincial executive committee (PEC) would provide “full support to the region and help it manage and overcome the challenge”.

A message under Premier and ANC provincial chairperson Dr Zamani Saul’s name urged that “senior counsel should be appointed and that an appeal be lodged” on the same day.

The ANC in the Northern Cape denied that Saul was the author of the message and blamed it on “artificial intelligence”.

“The response suggests that the provincial chairperson engages in organisational policy matters outside of a formal setting such as PEC/provincial working committee meetings. The provincial chairperson wants to categorically state that the response was not written by himself and could possibly be written by artificial intelligence.

“The selective presentation of this fake exchange creates a distorted impression of the collective process and its purpose. It is evident that the individual who circulated the fake screenshot did so maliciously, with the intention of creating a perception that the provincial chairperson and the secretary are influencing the outcome of the case. Such conduct does not serve the interests of the city or the ANC as an organisation.”