A day after Zwane’s election to the apex role in the coalition, the ANC in the province released a statement slamming the DA for insinuating in its victory speech that President Cyril Ramaphosa was instrumental in helping them score the mayoral role in Metsimaholo.

Spokesperson for the ANC in the province, Oupa Khoabane, alleges that the DA did not receive any ground support in Metsimaholo, but was assisted by their coalition partner, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), to get enough votes for the mayoral role. The DA has seen Zwane’s election as a way of bringing stability to the municipality.

Zwane was elected as mayor, a week after the EFF’s Selloane Motjoane was forced to resign by the party’s leadership as it was revealed she got the top seat via support from ANC members. DA Member of Parliament, Werner Horn, has told OFM News the ANC's statement is bizarre to say the least. Horn stesses instead that it is clear that the residents of Metsimaholo want better service delivery and hence the emergence of Zwane as mayor. 

READ MORE: Distressed FS municipalities to be placed under provincial care

Metsimaholo, which was previously an SACP-led coalition government, has been marred by tensions in the council which can be traced back to 2017 when it was first dissolved for not passing the budget and later placed under administration over the political dysfunction which had affected service delivery. In 2018, it was revealed the municipality had a vacancy rate of 60% with many of these posts being senior level like that of the Municipal Manager (MM), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Directors of Technical Support and Community Services. The then Cogta MEC, Thembeni Nxangisa, told OFM News, this was exacerbating serving delivery immensely and his then department was intent on filling the vacancies immediately.

Most recently OFM News reported that Metsimaholo, along with Mangaung Metro will remain under administration according to a recent letter from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to Free State Premier, Sisi Ntombela dated 26 October. Five other municipalities in the province, will soon join these two under provincial care.

OFM News