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TEL: 057 352 5430/9 OR 084 503 7648, PRETORUISSTRAAT DAGBREEK WELKOM
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Donderdag 16 Februarie 2017
Matjhabeng ‘a filthy mess’ Damage control to be done Madli Grobbelaar & Nthatisi Motlokoa madli.grobbelaar@volksblad.com
At a media briefing on Monday (13/02) the executive mayor of Matjhabeng, Nkosinjani Speelman, revealed shocking facts which he discovered during the 104-day programme of service delivery. The programme, Operation Kena Fela, was completed on 20 January. “There is a lot of damage control to be done and hard work lies ahead. The community must give me their full cooperation regarding any illegal activities in the Matjhabeng Municipality. I have an open door policy,” says Speelman. Speelman has promised to address road and electricity issues in Welkom. “I will catch the electricity thieves. This includes big businesses and I will issue title deeds to the needy. The pay or cut rule will apply to everybody. I will bring back the image of our municipality and the diginty of the people of Matjhabeng,” says Speelman. Speelman will be addressing broken street lights, broken water meters, properties where there are no water meters or where water meters are being bypassed. The 104 days kicked off in September 2016 when Speelman addressed all municipal workers to explain what he expects from them. He warned municipal employees that he will tighten the strings. Speelman had requested departmental managers to take him to different projects to give feedback about tender processes. Speelman issued 712 title deeds to people in need in Matjhabeng. Last year he encouraged the matriculants of 2016 to sign pledges as part of the programme. The Matjhabeng municipality also assisted students with bursaries and assisted those who were not able to pay their studies.
Executive mayor, Nkosinjani Speelman
Photo: Madli Grobbelaar
Crime in Matjhabeng is rife, says Speelman. He met with the police to embark on campaigns against crime, including the illegal mining problem. He dismissed municipal and security officials who were caught stealing copper. During a recent community intervention, Speelman discovered a business paying rates and taxes to a company in Durban, a tavern which had been built over the water meter, shop owners sleeping in their shops and people slaughtering cattle in their shops and selling the unhygienic meat to the community, amongst other irregularities. In Virginia he found a fully operational motor mechanic shop operating with illegal electricity and water. At one stage Speelman decided to telephone the municipality, pretending to be a community member. He reported water leaks and broken street lights. “None of these problems have yet been repaired,” he says. Speelman is especially disgusted by the sex workers operating all over Matjhabeng, as well as the multitude of drug dealers openly plying their trade. “Drugs are a huge issue in our community, destroying our community. I am frustrated that Matjhabeng is a filthy mess with cattle grazing all over the place, there is a out of control prostitution problem and a huge drug problem,” says Speelman.
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Manager suspended Marti Will
contracts. To replace them on an acting basis is Mike Atolo Ructions, suspensions and and Morakane Mothekge. resignations in municipal “We confirm that the municistructures are shaking the pal manager has been placed institution to its veritable core. on special leave by council The biggest head to roll this pending investigation into week was when the municipal matters relating to governance manager, Adv. Mothusi Lephewhile he was in office,” says ana, was placed on special Kgojane Matutle, spokesperson leave with immediate effect. for the council. According to a reliable The council has also resolved source, the reasons behind to appoint Thabiso Tsoaeli, Lephena’s suspension, current chief financial officer, amongst others, is that he was as acting municipal manager, using municipal funds without and Lindsey Williams as acting permischief financial sion to fight legal officer. actions against The Free State himself. This Goldfields (FGF) included contempt Chamber is in of court orders. possession of Lepheana also more than one allowed a senior cost order on a director to go on punitive scale three months against Nersa leave, without a and the local medical certificate municipality. The and with full pay. chamber’s attorHe also did not neys are in the take action process of execuagainst Fezile ting these. Wetes, executive “We have director of Corpo- Adv. Mothusi Lepheana, secured prison municipal manager, was rate Support sentences Service, who was placed on special leave with against Lepheana allegedly drunk at immediate effect on Tues- and the chief work and who executive officer day evening (14/02). had to be escorof Nersa. The ted from the premises. sentences are for two months This led to his being away imprisonment on the charges from work without leave. of contempt of court. The When he returned to work, sentences have been fully Lepheana increased Wetes’ suspended on condition that annual remuneration from the perpetrators are not found R1 058 578 to R1 285 302. guilty again on charges of There was no council decisicontempt of court,” says on taken in this regard. Schalk van der Merwe of the Furthermore, Cllrs Archie FGF. Mbana, MMC for Finance, and He says they have applied Papiki Ngesi of Cope have for a date to the Free State resigned. High Court for a final session Also, Matiro Mokgopodi, the of the main review case. executive director of Commu“We are confident that we nity Services, and Xolelwa will overturn the Nersa decisiMsweli, executive director of on of last year and recoup the LED, have left the institution monies that our members have after finishing their five-year been paying since,” he says.
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