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Mayor’s actions ‘illegal’ DA calls for debate on the matter at next council sitting Marti Will mwill@volksblad.com
The mayor of Matjhabeng’s actions on 2 January in Welkom must be condemned in the strongest possible manner. So says André Styger of the DA in Matjhabeng. “Never in the history of this council has a mayor singlehandedly embarrassed the municipality to this extent,” says Styger. He says according to media reports which were published over the weekend, the mayor, Nkosinjani Speelman, was enforcing the Constitution and certain sections of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) relating to work on public holidays. “The enforcement of the LRA falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labour and the mayor’s actions are therefore not only illegal, but completely irrational. This sets the stage for countless civil claims against the municipality because of his forced closure of businesses in an indefensible manner without any legal standing. “In the process the mayor himself ensured that the security personnel who accompanied him as council employees, had to work on a public holiday. “He furthermore showed his blatant disregard for the Constitution by acting as prosecutor, judge and executioner against businesses. “The mayor did not offer the business people their constitutional right to state their side of the story, nor to defend themselves in a court of law against what can possibly be false and malicious accusations. “It is clear that our mayor is taking his cue from the ANC’s national culture of acting unilaterally, and with blatant disregard to others’ constitutional rights, deciding which laws will apply to whom and how they are enforced. “It is even more concerning that
Zamazamas arrested certain media houses celebrate the mayor’s actions and try to paint him as a hero for the working people. One can only wonder what their response will be if they are on the receiving end of these illegal actions and are being forced to close down without being given a chance to state their case or defend themselves,” says Styger. He says the DA has requested a debate on the matter at the next council sitting. The DA will also request the speaker, Motlalentoa Sephiri, to investigate the matter for possible contravention of the Councillors’ Code
In December 2016, 101 illegal miners (zama-zamas) were arrested in Ninth Street in the industrial area of Welkom as part of Operation Festive Season. Capt. Stephen Thakeng, spokesperson for the Welkom Cluster, says the majority of the suspects are from Lesotho and will remain in custody. They face charges of illegal mining and trespassing. On Tuesday morning (24/01), a further 46 illegal miners were arrested in Fourteenth Street. Read more about the zama-zamas on p. 2. Photo: Supplied
of Conduct. Jakes Jooste of the Free State Goldfields Chamber of Business last week confirmed that business owners are going to take legal action against the mayor and the municipality. “There is no legislation or bylaw, which permits this kind of behaviour,” he told Vista. Jooste says the mayor’s behaviour was aggressive and bombastic, business owners were threatened, verbally assaulted and businesses lost income, and produce had to be written off. Vista was told by an informed source
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that he (the mayor) had been patrolling to uncover illegal immigrants (not a competency of the mayor), illegal abortion clinics (not a competency of the mayor), dagga and drugs (not a competency of the mayor) and ritual slaughtering in backrooms of business’ in the Central Business District (not a competency of the mayor). To date no official comment has been forthcoming from the executive mayor’s office. Vista understands that the Portuguese community is unhappy with the mayor’s actions.
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