Chaos ruled in the Okhahlamba Chamber Council meeting this morning, 30 March, after two African National Congress (ANC) councillors were suspended and removed. It is reported that the two councillors, one of which is a PR councillor, were suspended due to the fact that they had supported the vote of no confidence in Mayor Mlotshwa.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), early this week, wrote to the Okhahlamba Municipal Manager to obtain full details of the circumstances surrounding an apparently illegal Human Rights Day event as well as allegations that the municipality funded Mayor Mlotshwa’s wedding celebrations. Okhahlamba Municipality staff raised concerns about the possibility that the Okhahlamba Municipality’s Department of Traffic apparently paid large amounts of monies, illegally, towards the wedding celebration of embattled Mayor, Councillor Mlotshwa. Mayor Mlotshwa’s wedding celebration was held over three days, from 28 to 30 January, and apparently included pyrotechnics. The DA is also in possession of photographic evidence that appears to reveal that at least some parts of Mayor Mlotshwa’s wedding celebrations took place in the Okhahlamba Sports Complex which belongs to the Okhahlamba Municipality, presumably with no charge to Mayor Mlotshwa.
These incredible allegations were raised at the time of the vote of no confidence in Mayor Mlotshwa which was scheduled to take place on 29 March and today, but due to the outburst and the call for the suspension of the two councillors, the vote of no confidence by the council has been delayed. The vote of no confidence in Mayor Mlotshwa was prompted by allegations that Mayor Mlotshwa had allegedly attempted to get the municipality to make a pre-payment of R1.4 million for a Human Rights Day event that was never advertised nor apparently correctly tendered for. The only conclusion to be reached is that the R1.4 million might in some way have benefitted Mayor Mlotshwa or his close associates.
