The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality has raised serious concerns over the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), which has been plagued by dysfunctionality. Despite its establishment, the committee has failed to table any reports in the council.

To address this issue, the DA submitted a Motion of No Confidence against the MPAC chairperson, Chico Mkhwanazi, on 14 April 2023. This step was taken as a last resort to rectify the situation. Subsequently, the MEC of COGTA wrote to the Speaker of the council on 20 May 2023, requesting an explanation of how the matter of MPAC's functionality would be addressed.

However, to date, there has been no action taken in response to the MEC's letter. Moreover, the Speaker denied the DA's Motion to remove the MPAC chairperson, citing non-adherence to the Standing Rules of Orders of the municipality, a claim we vehemently oppose, as there is no reference to such rules in the council's adopted regulations.

We believes that the MAP16 coalition is protecting the ineffective EFF MPAC chairperson, shielding him from accountability. This situation is exacerbating rampant corruption in Maluti-A-Phofung, leading to escalated Unauthorized, Irregular, Fruitless, and Wasteful expenditure, reaching R7 billion in the current financial year.

To address the stalling progress and hold those responsible accountable, the DA's Leona Kleynhans MPL has written to the MEC of COGTA, urging for swift action to force the MAP16 Speaker to table a Motion of No Confidence against the MPAC chairperson. Previous attempts at intervention have yielded no results, necessitating urgent action from the MEC.

The council has the authority, under the Structures Act, to consider the replacement of the MPAC chairperson, and the DA hopes that the MEC will expedite this process to restore functionality and accountability in the municipality.

Issued by Moshe Lefuma - DA Chief Whip Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality