Seething �Mfana-wa-Zola� spoils councilllors� breakfast
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday November 20, 2015 11:51
At issue was the missing child, who was reported to have been swallowed by a mysterious snake.
As he was still on the floor, fellow councillors, including mayor Kagiso Thutlwe, stood up to have breakfast while he was still addressing them.
Motlaleng, otherwise popularly dubbed “Mfana-wa-Zola” in the township, which is also called “Zola”, went apopletic.
His fury was exacerbated when found his fellow councillors enjoying their breakfast and proceeded to tip over a bowel full of tasty bread pieces commonly known as mapakiwa.
A livid Motlaleng seethed: “I guess this will put sense into your heads. How do you give me an opportunity to speak and then go off for tea while I’m still on the floor? This is a serious matter and deserves your attention”.
The deputy mayor Kagiso Tshekega later apologised to Motlaleng before offering him another chance to update the council on the incident.
Even though Motlaleng accepted the apology, he would not take the podium again, stating that he was not in the right state of mind anymore.
Speaking to Mmegi after the meeting, a frothing Motlaleng said it was disappointing that councillors would rush to eat while he was addressing them on such a serious issue.
“If this is what food makes us behave, then we might have to stop eating here. This council seems not to know what its responsibility is,” he said.
Motlaleng said even though there has not been a report of a missing child, it was too early to stop the search for the child.
“That’s Old Naledi we are talking about. Some parents can go for up to a week, drinking alcohol at shebeens without seeing their children.
“So, if indeed there is a child missing, they might not be aware yet. I feel the police need to do more work before giving up,” he said.
Motlaleng also said due to a high number of young children not going to school in the area, checking with schools whether there was a missing pupil was not enough.
He said he would do all he could to make sure that the alleged missing child is accounted, for including calling traditional doctors, should the need arise.
Motlaleng said he has long complained about the pond where the child was alleged to have gone missing and called on the council to fill it up, but in vain.
The council had met to discuss how they could assist following the Matsha College tragedy.
Although Motlaleng believed there could be a child missing, not so Old Naledi Police Station commander superintendent King Tshebo.
The latter said that the search for the child has been discontinued as there has not been any report of a missing child.
A day earlier as members of the public inundated the spot where the child was said to have been snatched by the mysterious creature, Motlaleng got into a pushing and shoving match with police officers wo were scouring the scene for the missing child.
The police were cautioning curious members of the public who had come in large numbers to stay away, but Motlaleng did not agree. He defied the instruction, which led to the police manhandling him and forcing him away from the scene.