Tlokwe mayor back to court

Ousted Tlokwe ANC mayor Maphetle Maphetle will return to the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday in another bid to regain control of the municipality.

 

Maphetle was supposed to have vacated his office by 10am on Tuesday by order of Judge Neil Tuchten. On Monday Tuchten dismissed an application to nullify the council meeting at which Maphetle was unseated on July 2.

 

But, when newly-elected Democratic Alliance mayor Annette Combrink arrived to take office on Tuesday, Maphetle would not leave, saying he was going to appeal.

 

"Maphetle Maphetle is occupying that office because the ANC has decided to appeal against that judgment," African National Congress North West spokesman Kenny Morolong said.

 

North West DA spokesman Tiaan Kotze said: "The DA has not received any [legal] papers yet. What they are doing is absolutely illegal."

 

Meanwhile, the DA sent for the sheriff of the court to enforce the order. But later on Tuesday, Morolong said an application for leave to appeal had been filed in the High Court in Pretoria.

 

"The ANC is ready to exercise its right to appeal," Morolong said.

 

"We believe the convening of that council meeting was inconsistent with what we call rules of order at the Tlokwe local council. The mayor is hard at work. His focal point is service delivery. He is unfazed by this development."

 

DA councillor Hans-Jurie Moolman said the party would oppose the application, set down for 10am on Wednesday. Maphetle and Tlokwe speaker Barei Segotso had sought to have the meeting at which Combrink was voted in nullified.

 

The ANC's North West provincial disciplinary committee expelled 14 of its councillors during the controversy.

 

- Sapa