ANC national executive member Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has warned the party’s Eastern Cape leadership to fix water and roads or risk losing support in the 2024 general election.
Tsomo residents used Friday’s Eastern Cape presidential imbizo, convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa, to appeal for the construction of a public hospital in the small town. Poor rural infrastructure, unemployment and hunger were some of the other main concerns raised by residents from the Chris Hani and Amathole district municipalities during the gathering.
He said he was asked to follow officers to the police station, where a blood sample was taken - and that he was allowed to leave.
He denied that he was released on bail, which contradicts what provincial police told the Dispatch newspaper in writing.
An ANC councillor in the Enoch Mgijima local council, who asked to remain anonymous, said Papiyana was reinstated as Chris Hani district council s ANC chief whip. This after he withdrew his resignation letter from the position after his arrest last year.
“He then requested three months leave to deal with his court case,” the councillor said.
(Amathole District Municipality, Facebook)
The municipality can t afford to pay its salary bill of R65 million per month.
People in the six local municipalities under Amathole have been enduring interrupted and unreliable service for three years.
The embattled Amathole District Municipality has been placed under administration.
The Eastern Cape government announced on Thursday morning that its executive council had taken a decision to invoke Section 139 (5) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa into the affairs of the district authority.
The Constitution states that the provincial government may impose the Section 139 (5) (a) if a municipality, as a result of a crisis in its financial affairs, is in serious or persistent material breach of its obligations to provide basic services or to meet its financial commitments, or admits that it is unable to meet its obligations or financial commitments.
The Eastern Cape provincial government (ECPG) has invoked section 139 (5) (a) of the constitution to impose a recovery plan to help the Amathole district municipality meet its financial obligations. Last week the municipality said it would not be able to pay the salaries of 1,670 councillors, traditional leaders and staff for four months from February because of strained financial resources.