Mashemaite’s last stand?

Mogalakwena mayor, Thlalefi Mashemaite, this week pulled out all the stops in trying to prevent municipal manager, William Kekana, from returning to work after council last week adopted a resolution to have him reinstated.
Kekana returned on Monday and was welcomed by councilors, officials and personnel, but on Tuesday morning a group of militia from Mahwelereng calling themselves the Military Veterans Association gathered at the municipality and tried to prevent the municipal manager from entering the premises by closing the eastern access gate.
Opposition leaders allege that these people were working under Mashemaite’s instructions. Kekana’s loyalists however stormed the gate and forced it open so that the MM could drive to his parking bay and enter his office.
Shortly after this, Police started arriving at the municipality in large numbers and started arresting opposition party members and also members of the Mahwelereng Community Forum on charges of public violence. Five of these cases were, however, thrown out of court by Tuesday afternoon.
After a long consultation in the mayor’s office, Mokopane acting station commander, LT. Col. Isaac Mantjane and other high-ranking officers emerged and threatened to arrest the speaker, Melba Mabusela. It was not clear on what charges. She was instrumental in seeing through the council meeting that saw Kekana reinstated. At the same meeting councilors also accepted a resolution to have a forensic investigation launched into the municipality’s financial affairs for the period that Kekana was suspended.
On Monday Kekana warned that arrests may follow such a forensic audit. “When I left this office there was R1,2-million in the mayoral vote allocation. That money was budgeted for municipal outreach programmes and was supposed to last a whole year. Now, three months later, there is only R119 left,” Kekana told Northern News.
“We want to know where that money went. I am told it was spent on T-shirts.”
Kekana also alluded to a number of Mashemaite’s family members that were appointed at the municipality during his short absence.
Opposition councilors were particularly concerned about the mayor’s nephew, Jabu Mashemaite’s position in the municipality. He is appointed as head of the cleaners, but councilors allege that he aggressively intimidates workers and councilors. One worker has already laid a charge of assault against him.
Allegations of intimidation are rife in the Mogalakwena municipality. Members of the public and opposition leaders even claim that Mashemaite and the ANC are using the local police to intimidate people who threaten their power base.
DA Councilor, Marcelle Maritz on Tuesday afternoon laid a charge of assault against Lt.Col. Mantjane. Shortly after this charge was laid, Maritz was arrested along with her fellow councilor, Beyers Smit and Provincial DA leader, Desiree van der Walt.
“They are being arrested on account of public violence,” Mokopane's Capt. Marcus Mofaya told Northern News outside his office. He would not say when or where the alleged crime was committed and told the media to leave the police station.
All three were, however, released later that evening without any charges being pushed.
“It is blatant intimidation tactics by the police,” said Maritz’s lawyer, Oosie Oosthuysen. He expressed his concern that the police are allowing themselves to be used as political pawns.
But Lt.Col. Mantjane earlier claimed to simply be upholding law and order when Van der Walt wanted to know whether is taking his orders from Mashemaite.
Kekana visited the police station after work on Tuesday evening where he said these are all tactics by the mayor to try and get rid of him [Kekana].
Kekana believes that the forensic audit he has called for would prove that the mayor and some of his associates have been “pillaging the coffers of the municipality.”
DA Councillor, Beyers Smit, claims there is slightly more that R800 000 left in the maintenance budget where there was R8,4 million available in July.
When contacted by Northern News this week, Mashemaite declined to comment on allegations of misappropriated funds saying he would shortly shed some light on that matter.
On Wednesday morning charges of breaking and entering and theft were brought against the mayor for allegedly breaking into the MM’s office on Tuesday evening and removing all its content and locking it up in the mayoral office.
At the time of going to print it could not be confirmed wheather Mashemaite or any one else had been arrested for these allegations.
But while charges were being laid against the mayor, the provincial ANC sent its Mogalakwena councillors who supported the reinstatement of Kekana a letter demanding written explanations on their decisions to side with the opposition or face disciplinary action. A copy of this letter is in Northern News’s possession.

Allegations of intimidation are rife in the Mogalakwena municipality.