The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gamagara is challenging an attempt by the Municipal Manager, Lebogang Seetile, to derail political oversight of the institution, and his increasingly obvious inclination towards party politics.
Shortly after DA councillors last week exposed the disastrous state of the municipality’s unfiled building plans that were reported as being lost, Seetile issued a directive to officials to refuse councillors access to any municipal premises, operational sites, or infrastructure facilities without prior notification and the necessary approvals. He is also insisting that requests for oversight be issued to himself.
While we wonder what more the MM is hiding, the DA will not forego our responsibilities towards ensuring transparency and accountability within the Gamagara municipality.
We are opposing Seetile’s bid to overstep his authority to limit councillor’s oversight duties, as provided for in Section 151 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. We have therefore submitted a formal complaint to the MM’s reactionary memorandum. We view this as a cover-up of municipal failures, which flies in the face of the legal obligation of Seetile, and municipal officials, to not withhold information arising from legitimate matters.
The DA has further tabled a motion to officially record our concern regarding Seetile’s overtly political conduct. This is in relation to his recent attendance of the ANC JTG Local Government Summit, in ANC-branded regalia.
The MM serves as the head of administration and the accounting officer, and by law, must remain politically neutral and administratively independent, ensuring that the municipality functions free from political influence or bias. The DA is therefore requesting an investigation to determine whether his conduct flouts regulations of the Municipal Systems Act, Municipal Staff Regulations, and a recent Constitutional Court Judgment that explicitly prohibits municipal managers from holding any political office within a political party, also demanding that they remain professional and apolitical.
The DA will continue to fight for better service delivery for all residents of Gamagara, and we will not be pushed into a corner by politically motivated agendas.
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