SAMWU welcomes ANC decision to recall Amathole Mayor, Speaker and Chief Whip.
2 August 2022
SAMWU welcomes ANC decision to recall Amathole Mayor, Speaker and Chief Whip.
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the Eastern Cape notes and welcomes the decision of the ANC PEC in the province to recall the Troika of the Amathole District Municipality which consists of the Mayor, Speaker and the Chief Whip. As SAMWU, we are of the view that this decision is in the best interest of service delivery for residents served by the ADM and that of workers in the municipality.
In June this year, municipal workers from across the province marched to the ADM to deliver a memorandum of demands which included the removal of the Mayor as the union was, and continues to be of the view that the Mayor has failed in his political obligations towards residents and workers by his inability to steer the municipality in the right direction, leading to collapse in governance and service delivery.
In welcoming this decision, we further call for the speedy resolution on the removal of the Municipal Manager, Thankedile Mnyimba who has now run to the courts challenging the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ (COGTA) findings that his appointment was irregular and as such should be withdrawn. We are very confident that the courts will agree with us and COGTA that Mnyimba is not qualified to be an accounting officer of the ADM or any municipality for that matter.
As SAMWU, we are firmly of the view that the problems that workers and residents are facing can only be addressed by ensuring that the correct people are at the helm of the leadership of the municipality. We, therefore, believe that this is but many of the tough and decisive actions which would be taken to ensure that stability and normality is returned in municipalities across the province.
As indicated by the ANC PEC, the party will in the near future be deploying a new Troika at the ADM. We, therefore, take this opportunity to caution the ANC from bringing in people who do not have the interest of service delivery at heart but rather careerists who use the deployment given to them to further their own interests and that of their cronies.
As SAMWU, we are interested in seeing stable municipalities across the province as municipalities are the closest sphere of government to the people and in the coalface of service delivery. We, therefore, remain optimistic that decisions such as these would further be seen in municipalities across the province, especially in municipalities that are literally collapsing in the presence of political leadership.
We will therefore wait in anticipation for the announcement of a new Troika, should they be individuals of integrity, they shall receive the backing and support from municipal workers to ensure that services are delivered to residents. As we have previously said, the majority of the problems faced by municipalities are self-created by individuals who are careless of the consequences that their action has on governance and service delivery. We look forward to working closely with a new team that will put the interests of residents and service delivery first.
Issued by SAMWU Eastern Cape
Yalezo Luzuko
Provincial Secretary
071 628 7586