A motion of no confidence against Mangaung Metro Mayor Olly Mlamleli failed after 54 African National Congress (ANC) councilors, 34 Democratic Alliance (DA) councilors, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Freedom Front Plus (FF+) voted on the motion.
ANC councilors voted against the motion, while DA, EFF and FF+ councilors voted for the removal of Mlamleli and two councilors abstained.
The DA had brought forward the motion after the Metro was placed under administration and had wanted a secret ballot to ‘protect’ councilors from intimidation, however, the council speaker ruled against it and the vote took place by show of hands.
DA councilor Mokgadi Kganakga says she is surprised by the latest outcome.
Kganakga says, “I am surprised and it’s probably naive for me to say I’m surprised. The Speaker is supposed to protect the councilors and the citizens of this Metro, this Metro is a disaster. We have the administrator to prove what a terrible situation we are under.”
EFF councilor Baba Sebolao accused ANC councilors of being dishonest.
Sebolao says, “The ANC councilors are dishonest. Outside the council chamber, they always speak about how they don’t understand how the mayor operates and they don’t want to work with her. Even some close friends in the ANC today, they were saying she is going. Now I was shocked to see that the same people did not even vote.”
The councilor for FF+ Elizabeth Synman van Deventer says their support for the motion was to change the way the city is run.
Van Deventer says, “FF+ did support the motion because we realize that the Metro is really insolvent. The Metro has no management and there is no political leadership.”
Free State ANC deputy chairperson William Bulwane says they will continue to support the executive mayor and her councilors.
Bulwane says, “It was premature for them to go to the media to say the mayor must go without engaging all the relevant stakeholders and knowing that the national is arbitrary on the executive mayors of Metros in all the Metros.”
Mlamleli has survived her second vote of no confidence, the first one was tabled by the EFF back in 2018
