Mashishing - The Thaba Chweu local municipality in Mpumalanga has inaugurated a new mayor to replace Clara Ndlovu, who was sacked in 2009 following a series of service delivery protests.
Moses Marobela was inaugurated on Friday evening in Mashishing (formerly Lydenburg).
"The mayor has a clear mandate to bring service to the citizens. We hope he will continue with the municipal turnaround strategy, which was implemented by the outgoing management because it worked," said MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Madala Masuku.
Masuku requested the communities around Mashishing and other role players to support the mayor.
"We are confident that our communities will seize this opportunity to improve our system of governance at a local level," he said.
Marobela has promised to improve service delivery. "I would like to thank the ANC for giving me this opportunity. I promise not to disappoint the organisation. I would also like to promise the community of Thaba Chweu that the municipality will improve community participation because that is where the previous problems arose," said Marobela.
He further promised to eradicate nepotism in the municipality. "Vacant posts in the municipality will be filled by qualified and deserving people. No one is going to get a job just because they are related to a municipal official," he said.
Former MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Norman Mokoena, placed the municipality under administration in October 2009 after two months of violent service delivery protests.
The protests started on 5 June 2009 when residents of Marambane township attacked the police, damaged the former mayor's house and burnt tyres in protest against poor service delivery and the disappearance of R3.2 million from council coffers.
They also complained of financial mismanagement, lack of proper consultation and weak leadership. One protester was shot dead. Social grant offices, as well as the kitchen of the local police barracks were also set alight.
Ndlovu and 10 councillors were subsequently dismissed by the ANC in October 2009 and the municipality was placed under administration to restore basic service delivery, improve financial systems, enhance revenue collection, and improve institutional capacity and performance.
