DA wants Walter Sisulu Municipality Speaker gone after he was busted by HAWKS for corruption

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Friday said that it would table a Motion of No Confidence against Walter Sisulu Local Municipality Speaker, Kholekile Lange, to be dealt with in the next Full Ordinary Council Meeting. 

Walter Sisulu Local Municipality was established by the amalgamation of the then Gariep Local Municipality and Maletswai Local Municipality on 3 August 2016.

"Yesterday’s Special Council meeting was abruptly disrupted when the HAWKS stormed the council chambers of Walter Sisulu Local Municipality to arrest Speaker Lange," said Matthee Nel Cllr, a DA PR Councillor in the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality.

"The Municipal Manager, Thembinkosi Mawonga, was seen talking to the HAWKS after Councillor Lange was escorted to a vehicle and driven to Aliwal North Police station; where he spent the night."

Nel said that the Speaker appeared in court to today and was granted bail of R5 000 and the case was postponed until Tuesday, the 21st of March 2017 pending further investigation.

"ANC Councillors, the Mayor as well as the MM were in support of their 'dishonourable Speaker' at today’s court appearance," he said.

"The office of the Speaker is meant to act objectively, fairly and with great integrity when it comes to council matters and we cannot have a Speaker who is in jail cells, when he should be working to solve the enormous issues of delivery breakdown in Walter Sisulu.

"The Speaker should step down, or face the DA Motion of No Confidence."

DA laid charges against acting MM

The DA last week said that it was laying criminal charges against the Acting Municipal Manager of Walter Sisulu Local Municipality, Thembinkosi Mawonga, for the "illegal" deduction of pension fund contributions from officials’ salaries without paying them over to the pension fund.

Read more at: SHERIFF ATTACHES R7 MILLION WORTH OF ASSETS AT WALTER SISULU MUNICIPALITY, DA TO LAY CHARGES