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The intolerance of the people of Matjhabeng towards the mayor and his antics is escalating, and the threats of violence to force him to resign have now become a reality.
After the mayhem in Phomolong on the afternoon of Monday, 26 February, it has become very obvious that the tenuous situation is spiralling out of control.
Thanduxolo Khalipha’s mayoral imbizo in ward 2, Phomolong, ended violently – with him and his entourage fleeing for their lives amidst gunfire, looting and a hail of stones.
Tshediso Tlali, spokesperson for Matjhabeng, strongly denounced the heinous criminal acts that transpired there.
“It is imperative to express our condemnation for those individuals donning South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) regalia who, in a display of aggression, threatened violence against the mayor, councillors, and community members who were present at the imbizo.
“We want to acknowledge and commend the police for their swift intervention in defusing the situation,” says Tlali.
But the message is clear: The residents want the mayor out. The fragile thread that he holds onto to stay in power has reached breaking point.
Last week marked the fourth week of the crippling municipal strike that has brought Matjhabeng to its knees.
On Friday, 23 February, a peaceful but determined march comprising Matjhabeng members of Samwu and its Cosatu affiliates from all over the Free State wound through the streets of Welkom, delivering a strongly worded memorandum to Ketso Toto Makum, MEC of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
The workers are determined to see this through.
They demand an urgent intervention into the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, and that all of the allegations they have raised in their memorandum be probed.
They demand that the memorandum be taken with the respect it deserves and be implemented with immediate effect. The National Council of Provinces and Thembi Nkadimeng, minister of Cogta, remains their last hope to reclaim their municipality.
The workers state that Khalipha’s political overreach, bullying, harassment of officials and interference in the work of the administration have resulted in an intolerable workplace and the collapse of sound labour relations in the municipality.
