Emalahleni mayor sacked
2010-09-09 21:07
Johannesburg - The mayor of Emalahleni municipality Linah Malatjie has been sacked with immediate effect, the African National Congress in Mpumalanga said on Thursday.
"We can confirm that she has been fired...I personally sent her a letter of termination yesterday (Wednesday)," ANC Mpumalanga secretary Lucky Ndinisa said.
He said Malatjie clashed with the party after repeatedly making decisions without consulting the provincial caucus.
This led to her being subjected to a regional disciplinary hearing.
"Instead of following internal processes to appeal the disciplinary (sic), she took us to court... you can't take the ANC to court," Ndinisa said.
He said that as a result of this, she had been found guilty of breaching the ANC constitution and was fired after a letter came from ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on August 30.
"She cannot appeal this termination... her chance has come and gone," Ndinisa said.
The provincial executive committee would be looking at members already in the municipality to find her replacement.
"If we cannot identify a suitable individual we will look outside for someone, even just a 'caretaker' mayor until the right person comes along," he said.
This would take at least a month but not more than two months.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday welcomed Malatjie's sacking, saying it was long overdue, as her municipality was on the brink of collapse.
"The municipality was unable to deliver the most basic of services," DA provincial leader Anthony Benadie said in a statement.
Benadie said Emalahleni had often gone without electricity, water and refuse removal for days on end.
Roads were falling apart and the municipality did not have any qualified engineers in its employ, he said.
Benadie called for the hiring of a competent and qualified mayor by the ANC, saying it could only improve service delivery.
- SAPA
