Africa-Press – South-Africa. The EFF in Gauteng has seemingly jumped the gun and announced that one of its councillors in the West Rand District Municipality has been sworn-in as the MMC for public safety. Mayor Thabiso Bovungana says he is yet to announce an MMC for that portfolio.
Bovungana – who was elected as the mayor last month, following the ousting of DA leaders, has finally appointed MMCs. He was elected through an alliance between the ANC and EFF, which has been instrumental in removing DA mayors and speakers in Gauteng municipalities.
Last week, the DA in that council expressed frustration over delays in the appointment of a mayoral committee.
Bovungana told News24 that he appointed MMCs on 12 May.
He said five of the MMCs were from the ANC and two were from the EFF, and added that the MMC for public safety would be announced next Thursday and would most likely be from the EFF.
However, the EFF in Gauteng released a statement on Thursday, congratulating its councillors who were sworn in as MMCs, including Tumelo Molusi, who was sworn in as the MMC for public safety, according to the party.
When asked about this, Bovungana said: “You can raise it with whoever wrote and issued that statement. As executive mayor, I am saying that public safety will be announced on Thursday. So, whatever they wrote there, I am not an EFF member; I cannot respond on their behalf. [The] EFF is not [the] West Rand municipality. I am the one who is the executive mayor in the district.”
Confused by the events, provincial EFF chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said the MMCs were sworn in on Thursday.
“I wouldn’t be able to speak on his behalf. We are speaking from an element of where we are standing, [which] is that our councillors have been sworn in.”
News24 previously reported that Bovungana attributed the delay in appointing MMCs to extensive consultations with other political parties due to the fact that he was from a minority party in the council. He is the lone councillor of the African Independent Congress.
Former West Rand mayor Dennis Thabe, from the ANC, also made the cut as MMC for Infrastructure and Human Settlements.
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