Mokopane Mayor and MM battle it out

Mogalakwena mayor, Tlhalefi Mashemaite, was reportedly stripped of his powers as mayor shortly before Christmas last year. This followed a week of unrest and chaos at the municipality after the mayor appointed a private security firm to keep municipal manager, William Kekana, off the premises.
Mashemaite felt justified in trying to keep Kekana out of the municipal buildings as the Gauteng high court a week earlier ruled that Kekana’s contract as municipal manager had expired. Kekana, however, lodged an appeal against this ruling and argues that he is the legal municipal manager until the court rules on his appeal.
In another case the same court earlier last year ruled that Kekana was to be reinstated and that the mayor’s suspending his contract was illegal. Taking it’s cue from this court ruling Mogalakwena councillors voted to have Kekana reinstated and his contract renewed in October last year.
Kekana immediately commissioned a forensic audit into the municipality’s financial affairs after it came to light that thousands or rands have disappeared from the mayoral vote and other votes in his absence.
Since then Kekana and Mashemaite has been at loggerheads in a bitter power struggle for control of the municipality.
“I am the political head of this institution, Kekana is just an official appointed by council. That security company protects me as a mayor, employees and the property of Mogalakwena Municipality,” Mashamaite said when asked about his decision to spend tax payers’ money to keep the MM away from his office.
Kekana considers the appointment of the guards illegal and says ratepayers won’t have to foot the bill, but Mashamaite said the municipality would take responsibility for paying the security company.
By December 19 the situation at the municipality was untenable with the ‘mayor’s security guards’ dressed in black suits trying to keep the MM and personnel loyal to him off the premises and members of the Mogala-kwena Community Forum escorting the MM onto the premises and into his office.
The MM expressed his concern that all this was taking place at the expense of service delivery in Mokopane. The community is also growing increasingly frustrated by the impact the power struggle is having on stability in the municipality.
“The community is angry,” said Mogalakwena Community Forum secretary Lesiba Kgonyane. “The mayor’s hiring private armed security to stop our municipal manager and municipal workers from entering the municipality is bringing service delivery and other important projects to a halt.”
For this reason Speaker Melba Mabusela called a special council meeting whereby a council took decision to withdraw all powers from the mayor.