The ANC’s control in the Mangaung metro in Bloemfontein hangs in the balance as community members demand the ousting of controversial Municipal Manager Sello More.
Community members have vowed not to vote unless More is removed.
Under More’s leadership, the once beautiful “City of Roses” has deteriorated significantly.
A provincial government official, who spoke to The Star on Thursday, said: “This guy is going to cost us (ANC) votes in the upcoming elections, he doesn’t have the slightest idea of what he’s doing in the municipality. We are struggling to fix mere potholes, water leakages. Go to Batho location, sewage is running all over, councillors report these things, but nothing has been done,” added the official.
Lucky Malebo, a resident of Ward 29 in Mangaung, expressed his frustration with the municipality and ANC leaders, citing their ongoing disrespect towards residents.
“This municipal manager (More), not so long ago he was in the news for hiring his friends, if not he wants to be bribed for giving us business in the municipality. It appears that this guy is highly protected by his ANC friends otherwise, there is nothing that he was doing for us as residents, but to cause harm and heartache,” Malebo said.
The city’s spokesperson Qondile Khedama dismissed the allegations, saying that “the municipality had done significant strides in improving service delivery”.
Khedama said that the municipality has recently acquired 31 vehicles to expedite service delivery in the metro.
However, since More’s reappointment, the municipality has been plagued by numerous scandals. The latest involves a ghost worker scheme that approved exorbitant salaries for 94 political staff, drawing strong criticism from opposition parties.
Not long after that, a jobs-for-palls scandal rocked the municipality.
Documents seen by The Star, reveal that senior HR officer Adri Grobler opposed positions requested by the Speaker of Council, stating they could not be implemented as they no longer existed in the staff establishment. However, the Office of the Executive Mayor (OEM) was subsequently filled with numerous positions, including a chief of staff, a senior admin officer, a PA to the Executive Mayor, and six VIP bodyguards.
This was against the proclamation by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs which instructed the country’s 257 municipalities not to pay for more than two bodyguards for mayors and speakers of their councils.
There was no security threat and no security audit to approve the appointment of so many bodyguards.
It is not clear why More did not act to stop this.
On December 21, 2023, HOD of public safety submitted a request to city manager for the employment of the manager: administration (executive support) with the position set to begin on January 1, 2024, and end on March 31, 2024.
The HOD of corporate services recommended for the approval by city on the same day (21/12/2023), and the city manager approved it the following day.
In January 2021, More was unceremoniously removed from his position as a city manager through a no vote of confidence. More was fired then for occupying the position illegally. In a judgment handed down on December 15, 2021, Judge AJ van Rhyn found that More’s appointment as the man in charge of the metro, was null and void since October 30, 2021 as the Municipal Council of Mangaung failed to act in accordance with legal prescripts. More, despite the judgment, had remained the acting city manager and had entered into numerous contracts on behalf of the municipality.
The Star