Mayor Nel announced in a press release before his election as mayor that agreement had been reached with the ANC councillors to cooperate on governance in the Municipality, including the withdrawal of the Constitutional Court appeal relating to the illegality of Lonwabo Ngoqo’s appointment as Municipal Manager.  Yet he remains firmly ensconced as Municipal Manager, exercising all the extensive powers that it includes, and continues to unlawfully carry out the instructions of councillors who he knows have lost the power to govern.

The Ratepayers’ Association called on Mayor Nel on 1 August to settle its other two cases against Bitou Municipality, which include preventing the unlawful acquisition of mayoral cars, and to stop the overpayment of salaries, in breach of the law, to senior officials.  These cases should be resolved without further waste of ratepayers’ money which could be better spent on service delivery.

Another critical issue that needs to be dealt with firmly and expeditiously is the fact that the budget for the new financial year, commencing 1 July, has not been lawfully approved, but is being implemented and adjusted at will by what amounts to an unlawful government and uncontrolled officials.

We call on Mayor Nel and the rest of his colleagues on Bitou council to immediately honor their undertakings, settle these cases, and restore good governance to Bitou.

Kind regards,

Peter Gaylard