An Administrator has been appointed to run the affairs of Ditsobotla local municipality which has been placed under Section 139 (1)(c) of the Constitution.
Radinaledi Mosiane has been tasked with the responsibly of restoring good governance and administration and to also bring stability to the embattled municipality for a period ending in December 2022.
It is expected that during the intervention period, Mosiane will turn around the financial position of the municipality, attend to all legal and labour issues, take corrective measures on irregular appointments, improve service delivery by facilitating new projects, amongst others.
Equipped with a Master’s degree in Public and Development Management from Wits University), a Bachelors Degree also from Wits and having previously worked as a Municipal Manager for the erstwhile Tlokwe local municipality and a General Manager for Mangaung Metro in the Free State, Mosiane is believed to be the right man for the job. He has also held various leadership positions in both provincial and national government.
Since the inauguration of the new council after the local government election in November last year, the department has been supporting the municipality in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution. This measure was used along with Section 139 (5) of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA) by the Provincial Treasury to implement the mandatory recovery plan since the municipality was under financial distress.
Due to issues of non-compliance, the municipality had its equitable share withheld. The municipality had to meet certain conditions in order to get the equitable share and this included submitting a process plan for the recruitment and filling of all vacant senior positions, submitting a council resolution on the invocation of Section 139(5)(a) and (c) and repayment plan for Eskom debt, implementation plan for the Public Protector’s report, appointment of the municipal valuer on the compilation of the new valuation roll. The municipality also had to submit a report on the unspent Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) grant earmarked for upgrading the power station and measures put in place to address the impasse.
MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Lenah Miga says Mosiane will have to hit the ground running to turn the situation around in Ditsobotla. Miga described him as a shrewd and established local government practitioner with impeccable track record and an impressive resume to boot.
Source: Government of South Africa