SPTC appoints LoO, chief whip
Onalenna Kelebeile | Tuesday February 25, 2014 23:34
Though this is a new development, councillors elected the new leaders among themselves despite that fact that their terms of reference and duties or functions are yet to be outlined.
Councillor Bathaedi Mponwane was appointed leader of the house, Molefhe Molatlhegi leader of opposition, chief whip Koos Mashaba while Gaofenngwe Mokgwathi was appointed leader of all-party caucus.
Leader of the steering committee, Godfrey Mbaiwa, who was assigned to draw up the new standing orders, said they still need to go back to outline the terms of reference and functions of the new positions.
“Currently we just acknowledge them but there is nothing we can accord them as office bearers,” he told Mmegi.
He regretted that it was too early for councillors to have been appointed to the new positions before their functions are put in place.
However, he was grateful for the new milestone as he said through the standing orders, which are aligned to the new Local Government Act, councillors will now have to take oaths of allegiance and be sworn in before assuming their positions in council.
He said the new standing orders will address uncertainties surrounding motions of no confidence that were usually passed on mayors as and when councillors felt like.
“Now the law provides that the mayor can only be unseated by two-thirds majority of the entire council membership.
“So unseating the mayor and even committee chairpersons is not going to be an easy thing as it used to be.
“Basically it will bring order in our council and instill peace among us,” he said.
Mbaiwa added that the fact that councillors pushed that the standing orders come into practice immediately means that this has already started applying.
He added that other new developments brought by the standing orders are that the council now has an executive committee comprising the mayor, deputy and council chairpersons as well as all-party caucus.
He added that the introduction of these new offices is a situational proposal that will force councillors to focus on responsibilities they were elected.
Mbaiwa however promised that it will not take his committee long to put in place terms of references and functions of the offices because they can benchmark from higher institutions like Parliament.
“The intention is to upgrade our council. The functions once laid out will determine privileges that appointed position holders will be entitled to.
Speaking on behalf of opposition councillors, Lekang Mukokomani said afterwards that positions come before functions therefore there is nothing wrong with having appointed those leaders before their terms of reference are in place.
“If it is so then it shows failure on the part of council leadership to guide the ad-hoc committee that steered the standing orders.
“If functions were paramount over positions, then the issue could not have been tabled in the first place. Positions will force job descriptions to be in place,” he said.
He further noted that the positions are not voluntary hence certain packages will have to be attached to them.
However, he said the house would decide if the privileges be backdated.