The Democratic Alliance (DA) will insist on clear answers at the Sol Plaatje Special Council Meeting scheduled for Thursday, as Council seeks to address the state of chaos and administrative limbo caused by the ANC’s continued lack of transparency and circumvention of due process regarding the extension of the Municipal Manager’s suspension and the questionable deployment of an acting Municipal Manager.
The DA has repeatedly called for an urgent Special Council Meeting to address these concerns and notes that our request has finally been acceded to.
This long-overdue meeting will be used to demand accountability for a series of questionable decisions taken by the ANC relating to the extension of the suspension of Municipal Manager, Mr Thapelo Matlala, despite incomplete investigations and inconclusive evidence. This includes the failure to fully inform Council about the deployment of Ms Busisiwe Mgaguli to act in the municipality’s highest administrative position while Mr Matlala was under investigation.
We further seek clarity on the basis and authority under which Mr Matlala, whose suspension lapsed on 17 December 2025, was denied access to his office on Monday when the municipality reopened after the festive season. There is also uncertainty regarding whether Ms Mgaguli’s acting deployment, which is believed to have lapsed on 3 January 2026, has been extended. This raises serious concerns that Sol Plaatje Municipality may currently be operating with two accounting officers, in direct contravention of governance norms.
This municipal manager debacle has gone on for far too long. If there is information being withheld from Council and the residents of Kimberley, the ANC must provide full disclosure at Thursday’s meeting. This is necessary to allow legally regulated disciplinary processes relating to the Kapa Koni matter to proceed, and for Mr Matlala to be held accountable where appropriate.
If no such information exists, then the ANC must explain the true agenda behind this saga and account for the wasteful expenditure incurred through the payment of two salaries from scarce municipal resources for a single position.
Since the initial suspension of Mr Matlala, the DA has consistently advocated for due process and the uninterrupted continuation of the R2.5 billion Water Infrastructure Project, which is critical to improving service delivery and the quality of life for Kimberley residents. We have also raised serious concerns about unjustified attempts to restructure senior management in the absence of the Municipal Manager, which appear to form part of a coordinated attempt to capture the municipality.
Accordingly, the DA will request a full breakdown of all contracts entered into and payments made during Ms Mgaguli’s period of acting appointment, as Council was never formally approached for approval or oversight since the commencement of her deployment.
Only good, clean, and lawful governance can save Sol Plaatje Municipality from further decline.