A set back in human relations, and a few steps back in “Nation Building”, which is forever the emphasis of the ANC and mainly aimed at members of opposition parties, is just what happened Friday in the Chambers of Thabazimbi Local Municipality when the council went in sitting for a scheduled meeting.
The ANC councillors accused the mayor of not providing them with the agenda of the council meeting scheduled for Friday morning. They were given permission to used the conference room to discuss the agenda, which they claimed they never received, before the scheduled meeting would commence. When the opposition councillors entered the room at the time the meeting was scheduled for, ANC members allegedly threw water bottles at them and amidst all the screaming and chaos, sprayed them with Doom, a poisonous insecticide. This action was completely miss placed in our modern society and refers back to barbarism and was an act to do somebody serious bodily harm. An act that can be prosecuted by law.
This was not a racial incident as the ANC councillor’s contempt was aimed at members of all races within their new official opposition, where they now have to take the back seats in the council.
This action followed false accusations aimed against the newly elected Mayor, Councillor Midah Moselane from the Thabazimbi Residents Association, that she did not supply the agenda seven days in advance to the meeting as was the requirement. This was the tactic used by the ANC most of the time they were in charge of the Thabazimbi municipality, only providing the opposition with the agenda on the day of the meeting.
Anybody believing that the newly elected mayor would sink to the same lows of the ANC, following their example of mismanagement so early in her career, should think twice.
Once again there is a council in place who is set to deliver and manage the funds, intended for maintaining the town’s infrastructure and providing services correctly.
For too long Thabazimbi town was mismanaged, experienced water shortages, poor service deliveries and was victim of apparent relentless corruption inside the municipality, of which the main executive officials were all ANC cadre, being handled by the puppet master, the ANC provincial government in Polokwane.
As far as all councillors are concerned, it would be to their advantage to learn how to govern properly in casting their vote in the council, especially those councillors who spend time on Thabazimbi’s Gravy Train. Every councillor should use their vote to make Thabazimbi a better place to live in, and not cast a negative vote in protest because they are not part of the majority in the council.
It is hoped that the official leaders of the newly elected council, would not continue where the ANC has left off with the unrealistic high salary scales and overrated benefits, but to be prepared to revert back to more realistic scales based on qualification, skills and competency to do the job where everybody is paid in accordance to set salary scales for specific jobs as determined by the Department of labour and not give in to what the Municipal Workers Union demands its workers should be paid.
No work–no pay–no job, should be the new motto of the Thabazimbi Municipality.
Comment by Pieter Coetzee: Kwêvoël
